Scan the body
You feel an emotion before you can name it. The chest tightens. The stomach drops. Start with your body, and let it point you to the feeling.
Answer a few prompts about your body, and we will find the feeling that fits.
A map of the body
Feelings are not only thoughts. They are heat, pressure, weight, and movement. Every entry in the dictionary maps onto this figure. Tap a region to read what tends to live there. Tap a feeling to see its own map.
The chest
The chest holds the big ones. Anxiety sits here as tightness and a fast heartbeat. Grief presses down as a heaviness. Love spreads as warmth, and pride lifts the chest open and wide.
It stirs in 322 of our 402 maps. It stills in 40.
Most concentrated here:
The gut
The gut reads danger early. Fear and dread drop and knot the stomach. Excitement flutters there too. Disgust turns it, the body asking you to keep something out.
It stirs in 126 of our 402 maps. It stills in 6.
Most concentrated here:
The throat
The throat holds what is not yet said. A lump rises with sadness and held tears. Longing aches here, in the space between wanting to speak and staying quiet.
It stirs in 45 of our 402 maps. It stills in 36.
Most concentrated here:
The face and head
Heat climbs the face with shame and anger. Worry presses behind the eyes. Joy lightens the whole head, and awe can prickle the scalp and skin.
It stirs in 345 of our 402 maps. It stills in 29.
Most concentrated here:
The arms and legs
The limbs carry the urge to act. Anger charges the hands. Fear can freeze the legs, or ready them to run. Restlessness needs to move, and cannot sit still.
It stirs in 112 of our 402 maps. It stills in 43.
Most concentrated here:
Pleasant or unpleasant, calm or charged
Where a feeling sits is only half the picture. Each entry also plots how pleasant it is, and how much energy it carries. A tight chest can mean dread or thrill. The body gives the signal; these two questions help you read it.