The feeling wasn't anger - it was something deeper. Here's what I learned…
The other night, my husband made a comment about the dinner I made.
Something like, “This chicken’s a bit salty.”
He wasn’t being cruel or unnecessarily critical. I agreed with him. But I was already on edge.
For days, I’d been silently stewing — irritated, frustrated, and, honestly, exhausted.
And yes… the chicken was salty.
But instead of just saying, “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll add some water,” I snapped — full-blown rant. Something like:
“Do you know how much I already do every single day — for the kids, for this house, for YOU?”
I lost it. Then I locked myself in the bathroom, sat on the edge of the tub, and cried. I felt guilty for overreacting, but mainly because I knew that my explosion had nothing to do with how I cooked the chicken. I made a mistake, but this was so minor.
It wasn’t anger at the root of it.
I felt inadequate.
That deep, gnawing feeling like nothing I do is ever enough. Like every little mistake, being late to pick up my kids, sending pitches that get ignored, and not getting any thank yous or appreciation, is evidence that I’m failing.
Once I named it, I could feel it shifting.
I grabbed my journal and started writing. I put all that anger and frustration into words. I asked myself why about a dozen times to get to the root of that feeling. I started by writing hurtful things about him, then terrible things about myself, then I came around, read what I wrote and changed my mindset. Reading those mean words made me realize how hard I was being on him and myself. I started to treat myself with compassion. I needed to forgive myself for feeling angry and to stop blaming myself for everything that hadn’t been going my way lately.
And I felt better.
That’s the power of identifying what you’re really feeling.
Which is why I’m so excited to share that my newest journal, 60 More Feelings to Feel, is officially available now.
This follow-up to 60 Feelings to Feel is for anyone ready to dive deeper into their emotional world, beyond the surface-level irritations, into the layered, complex, often misunderstood truths behind them.
Here’s what you’ll find inside:
- 60 nuanced feelings with clear definitions to expand your emotional vocabulary
- Pages to write, draw, or reflect on where each feeling shows up in your body and life
- A whole section on anger, and how to understand it with compassion
- Creative prompts — even if you’re not “artsy” — to help you express, not suppress
- A mini crash course in the Emotion Wheel so you can trace feelings back to their core
- And yes… cute little emojis to help you flip to the feeling you need
Whether you’re brand new to emotional work or already journaling your way through the messy middle, this new volume is a beautiful next step.
Grab your copy of 60 More Feelings to Feel
Because when you can name what you’re really feeling, you can soften, you can shift, and you can show up for yourself (and others) in a way that feels honest and grounded.
Even when the chicken’s a bit salty.
With heart,
Katharine
