I’m Obsessed With This ‘Feelings Wheel’ Pillow — And Experts Explain Why

This subtle tool can expand your emotional vocabulary. Here’s how to incorporate it.

Lately, I’ve been trying to find easy ways to incorporate wellness and mental health into my home. One of my favorite discoveries has been a feelings wheel pillow from Etsy.

Etsy

“A feelings wheel is a color-coded wheel that focuses on primary emotions (such as sad, mad, happy, worried) and extends them out to secondary emotions,” Yara Mawad, a marriage and family therapist at Los Angeles’s Jenna Laski and Associates, told HuffPost over email. Also known as emotion wheel, the wheel “helps individuals expand their emotional vocabulary to be able to articulate and communicate how they are feeling with accuracy,” wrote Mawad. The five-pronged feelings wheel was developed by psychologist Gloria Wilcox in 1982, though other popular variations exist, including Robert Plutchik’s octagonal model.

You may be more familiar with this concept than you realize. Therapist David Ibrahim, who runs Glendale Counseling Services, a trauma and addiction clinic in Los Angeles, likened it to the Disney-Pixar movie Inside Out. In the movie, a child is assisted by her “Emotion Team” of Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness to help her cope with her family’s move. “Many people are not the adult version of themselves when they are in any type of relationship,” explained Ibrahim over email. “They are like the animated movie Inside Out, being operated by little kid parts of themselves.”

That’s where an emotion wheel comes in to help. “If you’re having feelings and are lost[,] then they can direct you to have clarity and understanding in yourself,” wrote Ibrahim.

In other words, keeping a feelings wheel in your space or on your person can help you bolster your awareness of your own emotions and give you vocabulary for describing your inner world. It can also help improve your communication, especially if you are working on being less passive or less aggressive, according to Mawad.

Let's start with my own emotions wheel pick:

1. The practical yet comfy emotions wheel pillow from Etsy

MyCounselorsChoice / Etsy

This makes emotion wheels an especially helpful tool for couples trying to have a difficult conversation and for folks who have dealt with trauma, addiction, or other mental health issues. Keeping a feelings wheel around can also help children learn to pinpoint their feelings. You needn’t be shy about incorporating a feelings wheel into your life at any age: “It’s important to begin somewhere,” Ibrahim wrote. “Without our emotions, we don’t know what we need.”

In true shopping writer fashion, I scoured the internet for the best feelings wheel pillow when I decided I wanted one. I chose this option from Etsy because it was so detailed, featuring primary, secondary, and tertiary emotions. Its impressive detail makes it look sharp as decor as well as a practical piece I can actually use. Sure enough, it’s garnered me many compliments, with many of my friends making use of the pillow themselves whenever they stop by.

The pillow is also delightfully comfy — my cat often steals it for her afternoon naps — and features a smart graphic on its back that makes it look like a true throw pillow. Plus, it comes with its own pillow insert, so I didn’t have to do the guesswork of finding an insert for it on my own. It’s also machine-washable and has a hidden zipper so the pillow stays fluffy without its insert constantly falling out.

Get it from MyCounselorsChoice on Etsy for $35.91+ (available in two sizes).

The back of the Etsy emotions wheel pillow

MyCounselorsChoice / Etsy

This has quickly become one of my favorite decor pieces in my home while serving as a reminder to check inward on myself and my feelings. Over time, the pillow has given me more language to specifically describe how I’m feeling — which has helped me better understand myself, my habits, and my decisions and be kinder to myself. 

This Etsy feelings pillow has been worth every penny I spent on it.

Luckily, there are tons of other feeling wheel accessories and decor available, too. Check out some of our favorites from Etsy and Amazon.

2. A feelings wheel tote bag

Amazon

"I own this feelings wheel Tote Bag and love it. I use it when food shopping sometimes," David Ibrahim, a Los Angeles-based therapist, told HuffPost over email. Ibrahim runs trauma and addiction clinic Glendale Counseling Services. "I won mine at GAMHPA [Glendale Area Mental Health Professionals Association]. 

"Emotion wheel tote bags are a nice way to check in with yourself when you’re at a register and bored. Or if you're having feelings and are lost, then they can redirect you to have clarity and understanding in yourself," explained Ibrahim.

Get it from Amazon for $23.99.

3. Another pillow option from Etsy

vcuztomizedcom / Etsy

This feelings wheel displays base emotions and more detailed secondary emotions for a low-key introduction to emotion wheels that won't overwhelm.

Get it from vcuztomizedcom on Etsy for $11.11+ (available in four colors, various sizes, and with or without an insert).

4. An emotions wheel magnet

InGENIUSPassions / Etsy

This magnet is a subtle way to incorporate emotional vocabulary into your home. Just stick it on your fridge and you can check in with yourself whenever you're making a meal or grabbing a snack. Its central location will encourage others in your family to do the same.

Get it from InGENIUSPassions on Etsy for $10.99+ (available in two sizes).

5. A mouse pad option you can utilize at work

InGENIUSPassions / Etsy

You can keep this feelings wheel mouse pad at your desk to help you check in with yourself throughout the workday or whenever you're dealing with a stressful task.

Get it from InGENIUSPassions on Etsy for $17.95.

6. A six-pack of vinyl stickers

Amazon

This set of six emotion wheel stickers will help you outfit just about anything you'd like, including a coffee thermos or water bottle, window, notebook, laptop, cabinet, or skateboard. Each pack provides two sticker sizes, and you can choose between four color options.

Get a pack of six from Amazon for $5.49+ (available in three colors).

7. An emotion wheel keychain

InGENIUSPassions / Etsy

You can take this keychain on the go with you for a reminder to check in with yourself during transition times like leaving or returning home or before and after you drive.

Get it from InGENIUSPassions on Etsy for $16.99+ (available in two sizes and lengths).

8. A cozy throw blanket

CustomGiantGifts / Etsy

Toss this sweet emotion wheel blanket on your couch, bed, or anywhere you want to make a little cozier.

Get it from CustomGiantGifts on Etsy for $79.99.

9. A bright feelings wheel rug

InGENIUSPassions/Etsy

This splurge-worthy rug would look great in a common space or a kid's room.

Get it from InGENIUSPassions on Etsy for $139.99.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.