Spring has sprung in my part of the country, and with the extra light comes a growing to-do list. It seems like my list is growing as fast as the weeds!

This morning as I looked at my list and felt overwhelmed, I asked myself, how am I going to get it all done?

Immediately, one word popped into my head: priorities.

I used my Emotional Vocabulary list to help me define what I was feeling. For me, the emotions behind setting priorities are anger and anxiety.

(The emotions you feel behind that word may be different, and that's OK. We all experience emotions differently.)

From my work with DEI, I know that anger is about defining what's important to me, and anxiety helps me get things done on time by highlighting what really needs to get done.

Being able to name what I'm feeling helps me know what to do with what I'm feeling. Instead of just feeling overwhelmed with my growing to-do list, I am able to access the emotions that have something to say, and prioritize the things on my list so that I do the things that are most important first.

Please keep in mind that the things that are most important to me might be completely different than what's important to you. Your emotions are unique to you.

Anger is the emotion that helps you define what's most important to you, whether that's sitting in the sun today, or paying bills, or spending quality time with your family, and that's why being able to listen to your anger is so essential. 

Anxiety is the emotion that helps you get things done, whether that's making a list, or updating your DMV registration, or doing your laundry so you'll have a clean outfit for Monday morning. Your anxiety tells you what really needs to get done in the time you have.

Your Emotional Vocabulary list will help you identify the emotions you feel behind the word "priority," or any other word. The more you practice naming your emotions, the better you will be at knowing what you feel when you feel it.

The next time you feel overwhelmed, or stressed, or sluggish, I invite you to take a look at your Emotional Vocabulary list to see what you're really feeling. You might be surprised at the emotion that comes forward.

I'd love to hear about it. How do you use your Emotional Vocabulary list?