Emotional Awareness: Learning to Name What You Feel

When Jesus met Bartimaeus, a blind man, on the roadside, He asked a question that almost seems unnecessary: “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51 NKJV). The answer appeared obvious, Bartimaeus wanted to see. Yet Jesus’ question reveals something essential about healing: genuine healing starts when we take the first step and choose to name what’s happening inside us. In the same way, emotional healing begins when we find language for what we feel. Because it is impossible to heal what you refuse to name.

The Power of Naming

God created the world through the power of His words. He spoke light, order, and beauty into being. When Adam was formed, God invited him to name the animals and all living beings. This was a divine partnership in language and creation. Naming wasn’t just about identification; it was about stewardship.

In much the same way, naming your emotions is a form of stewardship over your inner world; it is wise stewardship of the soul that God has given you. When you name what you feel, whether joy, fear, anger, or sadness, you bring that emotion out of confusion and into clarity. By choosing to put words to what you are feeling inside your soul, you’re no longer ruled by it; you’re responsible for it.

Psychologists call this emotional granularity. It is the ability to describe feelings precisely. Scripture calls it simply, saying what is true. Both scripture and science reveal that language unlocks healing. When we articulate what we feel, the emotional centers of our brain begin to calm, and the prefrontal cortex (the part responsible for logic and reflection) re-engages.

In other words, putting your feelings into words literally helps your soul find peace.

David echoes this in Psalm 51:6, saying, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”

The Feeling Wheel: A Tool for Awareness

Many people struggle to express emotion beyond a handful of words: happy, sad, or angry. But the soul is more nuanced than that. God designed a spectrum of emotion because He is a God of depth, not simplicity.

The Feeling Wheel, developed by psychologist Dr. Gloria Willcox, helps us move beyond surface-level emotions to discover what’s really happening underneath. It begins with six core emotions: happy, sad, disgusted, angry, fearful, bad, surprised, and expands outward into more specific expressions like accepted, excited, stressed, weak, frustrated, and lonely.

Think of it as a map for the emotions of your soul. When you trace your feelings on the wheel, you begin to locate yourself emotionally. You start to realize that “angry” might actually mean “frustrated,” or that “sad” may hide a sense of “despair.” Every layer of awareness you uncover only opens the door for deeper healing.

You Can’t Heal What You Can’t Name

I have come to understand that avoidance numbs our soul, but awareness heals the deep places of emotional pain and turmoil within. When you choose to ignore your emotions, they don’t disappear; they simply go underground, influencing your thoughts and behaviors from the shadows. This is because whatever you bury doesn’t really die. It only grows into a seed that will influence your life in the future.

Naming what you feel doesn’t make you weak; it makes you whole. The Bible is clear that Jesus never condemned emotion; He felt them all. A primary example of this is how He wept at Lazarus’ tomb, felt compassion for the crowds, and expressed righteous anger at injustice in God’s house. To follow Him means to bring our full emotional life into relationship and divine alignment with God.

The choice of emotional honesty before God is the foundation of wholeness in every part of our being. It’s the place where we can finally say, “Lord, here’s what I actually feel,” and trust that He’s not afraid of the truth from our hearts.

“Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” (Psalm 62:8 NKJV)

Language Unlocks Healing

I believe there is power in saying aloud:

• “I feel anxious.”

• “I feel overlooked.”

• “I feel hopeful.”

• “I feel grateful.”

Each statement is an act of bringing what’s hidden into light. Language gives shape to your soul so that God’s truth can meet you there. When you give words to your emotions, you also give permission for God’s healing grace to enter them. And the more specific you become, the more healing can occur. Generalized pain always stays vague; named pain becomes healable.

Practical Application: Using the Feeling Wheel for Prayer and Journaling

Here’s a simple practice you can use to grow in emotional awareness and prayerful reflection:

1. Pause and Identify

   1. Take a few quiet minutes. Look at the Feeling Wheel (you can save the version from this website to your smart device or print it off for free!).

   2. Ask yourself: “What am I feeling right now?”

   3. Start with the inner circle and work outward until you find the word that best fits your emotion.

      
      

2. Name and Acknowledge

   1. Write down what you discover.

   2. For example: “I feel anxious because I’m uncertain about the future.” “I feel thankful because God provided in a way I didn’t expect.”

   3. Don’t judge the feeling, just acknowledge it.

      
      

3. Invite God Into It

   1. Turn that feeling into a prayer:

      1. “Lord, I bring my anxiety to You. Show me what’s beneath it and fill me with Your peace.”

      2. “Heavenly Father, thank You for this gratitude, help me stay aware of Your goodness today.”

         
         

4. Reflect and Record

   1. Journal about what you notice.

   2. Ask: What might this emotion be trying to tell me? Is there a truth from God’s Word that speaks into this feeling? What might the Holy Spirit want to heal or reveal through it?

This daily rhythm transforms the Feeling Wheel from a psychological tool into a spiritual practice, an act of discipleship to help you steward your soul.

Key Takeaways

• You can’t heal what you can’t name. Awareness is the doorway to transformation.

• Language unlocks emotional healing. Words give structure to your inner life so God’s truth can reshape it.

• Emotional honesty before God is the foundation of wholeness. Hiding prolongs pain; honesty invites healing.

Reflection

• What emotion have I been avoiding naming before God?

• How might journaling or prayer with the Feeling Wheel help me understand what’s really happening inside?

• What truth from Scripture can I speak into this emotion today?

Closing Thought

God doesn’t heal what you fake; He heals what you choose to face! When you learn to name what you feel, you create sacred space for Him to meet you in it. So take a breath, be honest, and speak the truth of your heart to God. Because every emotion you name becomes an open door for His grace to enter, and in that space, your soul begins to heal, one word at a time.