Here is a list of feeling states that people often have but fail to identify. It can be used or played with in a number of ways:

• Use it when you're not sure if you're feeling anything, or if you have so many feelings that you are confused and frustrated. Read over the list quickly and check any words that come close to identifying your present state. After you have noted them, ask yourself why you have them, or what has triggered them. For instance, if you identify with stupefied," record for yourself: "I feel stupefied when all my plans fall apart; I feel stupefied by my inability to make a decision; I feel stupefied. . . ." Challenge yourself to come up with as many as possible explanations as you can.
• Use the list with a friend. Ask one another: "Tell me about a time when you felt melancholy."
• Use it to inspire journal writing. Take one feeling, write it in the middle of a blank page, circle it, and record all your associations with it. After you've done this for ten minutes or less, write a little story, or poem, or letter for yourself about this experience. The main thing is to have fun.

The List:
I feel . . .
I am . . .

abandoned adequate adamant affectionate agony almighty ambivalent angry annoyed anxious apathetic astounded awed awkward bad beautiful betrayed bitter blissful bold bored bothered burdened calm capable captivated challenged charmed cheated cheerful childish childlike clever combative competitive condemned confused conspicuous contented contrite crazy cruel crushed culpable deceitful

defeated delighted desirous despair destructive determined different diffident diminished discontented distracted distraught disturbed divided dominated dubious eager ecstatic electrified empty enchanted energetic enervated enjoyment enraptured envious evil exasperated excited exhausted fascinated fawning fearful flustered foolish frantic free frightened frustrated full fury gay generous glad good

grateful gratified greedy grief guilty gullible happy hate heavenly helpful helpless high homesick honored horrible hurt hysterical ignored immoral imposed upon impressed infatuated infuriated inspired intimidated isolated jealous joyous jumpy kind laconic lazy lecherous left out licentious lonely longing loving low lustful mad maudlin mean melancholy miserable

mystical naughty nervous nice niggardly nutty obnoxious obsessed odd opposed outraged overwhelmed pain panicked parsimonious peaceful persecuted petrified pity pleasant pleased precarious pressured pretty prim prissy proud quarrelsome queer rage refreshed rejected relaxed relieved remorse restless reverent rewarded righteous sad satisfied scared screwed up servile settled

sexy shocked silly skeptical sneaky soft solemn sorrowful spiteful startled stingy stuffed stunned stupefied stupid suffering sure sympathetic talkative tempted tenacious tense tentative tenuous terrible terrified threatened thwarted tired trapped troubled ugly uneasy unsettled vehement violent vital vivacious vulnerable weepy wicked wonderful worried zany zestful

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