I’m struggling to identify and feel my feelings.

If it’s an extreme emotion like rage, grief, humiliation or strong anxiety, I can name it and feel it strongly in my body. However, since I’ve been doing this work I’ve not felt any of those extremes to practice on.

But I’m not so good at identifying and describing the more subtle, daily emotions like apathy, contentment, sadness, resistance, determination etc.

I will decide what I’m feeling according to what I’m thinking, or the circumstances. If I check my body for what I’m feeling the description for all of these feelings is the same. For example, a slight constriction in my throat or oesophagus, maybe slight clenching in my heart. Even extreme gratitude feels like this, perhaps with the addition of feeling a lump in my throat and burning in my eyes as some tears build.

So if all the emotions feel the same in my body but it still feels crap to be down, or fearful, or guilty, or resistant, where does this crap “feeling” occur? To me it feels like it occurs in my head. That the thoughts themselves are the painful part, not the vibration in my body.

I identify as an emotional and sensitive person which is why this is confusing to me.

Can the thoughts themselves be the unpleasant part, rather than the vibration?

How can I get better at identifying and feeling the subtle differences in my body?

And if the differences really are so subtle why do negative thoughts still “feel” so bad?