This emotions wheel poster is designed to help teenagers and adults understand how feelings show up beneath everyday thoughts, reactions and behaviour. It clearly links common internal experiences such as feeling overwhelmed, unsafe, rejected, not good enough or disconnected with a wide range of underlying emotions. This supports deeper emotional awareness, emotional literacy and insight into personal triggers.
The wheel is organised into meaningful sections including “we feel hurt”, “we feel overwhelmed”, “we feel unsafe or uncertain”, “we compare ourselves” and “we want connection”. Each section breaks down into specific emotions such as anxiety, stress, panic, anger, shame, guilt, jealousy, loneliness, grief, contentment and joy. This helps users move beyond surface level feelings and better understand the root of emotional responses, which is key for improving mental health, relationships and behaviour patterns.
This printable PDF is particularly useful for teenagers and adults who struggle to identify or express emotions, including those experiencing anxiety, low mood, stress, trauma responses or low self-esteem. It can support emotional regulation, self-reflection, communication skills and building insight into thoughts and feelings. It is also relevant for individuals with ADHD or ASD who benefit from structured, visual emotional tools.
Suitable for use in therapeutic work, education settings and at home, this resource can be used by counsellors, therapists, social workers, teachers, youth workers, parents and carers. It works well as a discussion tool, reflective exercise or emotional check-in to support wellbeing, strengthen relationships and develop healthier ways of understanding and managing emotions.
