Recognizing Emotions/Daily Practice: Recognizing Emotions

Each emotion has a characteristic facial expression. This is an example of obvious contempt.

Here’s a "Recognizing Emotions" Daily Practice Checklist, designed around the key concepts from the Recognizing Emotions Wikiversity resource.[1] It guides you through noticing, naming, and understanding emotions more clearly, day by day.

Morning – Awareness & Naming

  1. Set an intention: “Today, I will notice and name the emotions I experience—clearly and without judgment.”
  2. Build your emotional palette: Choose one of the Seven Basic Emotions—Fear, Sadness, Anger, Joy, Surprise, Disgust, or Contempt—to pay attention to throughout the day.

Throughout the Day – Observation & Reflection

  1. Notice emotions as they arise: Whenever you feel something, pause and ask:
    • What is this? (e.g., Am I feeling joy, frustration, or something more complex?)
    • Try using more precise shades—like ecstatic instead of happy—drawing from the extended lists (e.g., Lazarus’s 15 or Goleman’s categories).
  2. Map energy and valence: Check if the emotion feels high or low energy, positive or negative. This builds clearer emotional awareness.
  3. Recognize emotional expressions: Observe your facial expressions and posture—are you smiling, frowning, tense? Use these physical cues to help identify emotions.

Afternoon – Deeper Connections

  1. Explore triggers: When emotions arise, ask:
    • What event or thought triggered this?
    • What is this emotion signaling—loss, threat, joy, or justice? (based on Lazarus’s frameworks)
  2. Acknowledge complexity: Remember it’s common to experience mixed or overlapping emotions. Embrace the nuance.

Evening – Reflection & Integration

  1. Journal briefly:
    • Moments of clarity: When did you accurately name what you were feeling?
    • Physical-aligned emotions: Did bodily signs (e.g., tight chest, soft gaze) help you recognize how you felt?
    • Subtle emotion practice: How well did you distinguish the specific shade of emotion today?
  2. Reinforce with affirmations:
    • “I recognize my emotions.”
    • “I name what I feel with clarity.”
    • “I understand what each emotion communicates.”

Sample Daily Template

Time of Day Practice
Morning Set your emotion-naming intention; pick one basic emotion to focus on.
Daytime Observe feelings, label them precisely, note bodily cues; optional use of emotion wheel.
Afternoon Reflect on triggers and allow for complexity in emotional experience.
Evening Journal insights; review and affirm your emotional awareness practice.
  1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this text responding to the prompt: “Generate an ‘recognizing emotions’ daily practice checklist based on the materials at: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Recognizing_Emotions”.
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