An A-Z of Emotions

Here is the master list of posts for my recent series, an A-Z of Emotions:

A-Z Challenge: W is for Worry

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter W and so I've decided to write about worry.

I used to be a worrier. I spent a lot of time worrying about possible future consequences that may never happen, and it used to keep me awake thinking about the worst possible scenario. Now I try to focus on the present and not worry too much of the future. Worrying does have some benefits- it does prepare you for the worst so that if something does go one at last you've thought through your options. You're more likely to take a rational approach to problem solving if you're a worrier rather than diving straight in, which might minimise your chances of failure.

A-Z Challenge: V is for Vulnerability

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter V and so I've decided to writea poem with the subject of Vulnerability. Vulnerability is feeling that you are weak, defenseless, exposed and open to attack. Most of us feel mildly vulnerable at some times in our lives- when we are undermined by our confident colleagues in the boardroom, when we have to cross the road without a pedestrian crossing, when we're wearing our swimming costume and it feels like everyone is staring. But some people have to live with feeling terribly vulnerable all the time. People who are bullied or abused feel worhtless, helpless and powerless against their attackers.

A-Z Challenge: U is for Uncertainty

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter U. U words are often hard to think of. They are usually the negative counterparts of other words and the word I have chosen-uncertainty is no different. It is literally the opposite of feeling certain. It can be a feeling of doubt, a lack of knowledge about future events or the feeling of being unsure about ourselves.Uncertainty is a part of all of our lives. We may experience it when wondering which career path to take, who to trust with a secret, whether we should move house, whether to risk everything on a new relationship, whether we are ready to get married or have children. Artists and writers may feel uncertain about whether the idea they have is a good one and whether people will like what they are writing.

A-Z Challenge: T is for Tension

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter T and so I'm writing about Tension.

Tension is something we writers are always trying to create in our novels. Without tension many readers would get bored and put the book down as tension is the driving force that keeps them wanting to know what happens next. But how do you create tension in your writing without describing the atmosphere as tense?

A-Z Challenge: S is for Surprise

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter S and I'm doing Surprise!

Not everyone likes surprises- some people like to be prepared for everything. I love surprises though, provided they're nice ones of course! My partner is hopeless at surprises. He will do something really nice for me like booking a weekend away at a hotel or buying me an amazing present, but he can never manage to keep it a secret until the big day and usually ends up blurting it out randomly. Although once he did surprise me by turning up to my university to stay for a week when I was feeling low. As I like surprises I prefer not to know what I'm getting for my birthday and Christmas etc. It's much more fun to open up the wrapping paper and see what you've got. I also love doing surprises for other people but I'm usually not very good at them because my expression always gives me away.

A-Z Challenge: R is for Remorse and Regret

Today I'm continuing with the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and today is the letter R. I couldn't choose between Remorse and Regret, and as they are so similar I decided to do both.

A-Z Challenge: Q is for Quixotism

Today I must apologise for being late with my A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states and yesturday I was supposed to be doing Q. Somewhere in between getting back from work, eating dinner, doing my chores and watching Glee before falling asleep it completely slipped my mind. So I'm very sorry and tonight I'll be posting both my Q post for yesturday and my R post for today. So here goes.

A-Z Challenge: P is for Pride

Today is the sixteenth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter P and I have chosen Pride.

Pride is a feeling of satisfaction that comes from your own achievements. We are accepting of people who are legitimately proud because they have worked hard to succeed, but we frown upon those whose pride is excessive. Those who hold too high an opinion of themselves appear vain, arrogant and attention-seeking. They say that pride comes before a fall and in some sense that's true- we can be so busy basking in the glow of our success that we overlook a problem that might bring us crashing back down to earth. Excessive pride is one of the seven deadly sins. We are probably all guilty of it from time to time. But a moderate amount of pride in ourselves is healthy- it encourages us to behave in a manner that makes us seem successful and to take care with our appearance and manners.

A-Z Challenge: O is for Optimism

Today is the fifteenth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter O and what better word to choose than Optimism?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." In other words, you always expect the best outcome in any given situation. Optimists are the ones who seem to look on the bright side of life, see the silver lining to every cloud and see the glass as half full rather than half empty.

A-Z Challenge: N is for Nostalgia

Today is the fourteenth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. As you probably know by now, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter N and I'm writing about Nostalgia.

Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. Most of us feel nostalgic about our childhood and the school days which we hated at the time, but now see through rose-tinted specs.

Check out my Childhood Memories Pinterest Board!

A-Z Challenge: M is for Melancholy

Today is the thirteenth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. As you probably know by now, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter M and I've chosen Melancholy. Melancholy is a feeling of sadness, gloominess and pensiveness. I'm pleased to say it's not an emotion I experience too often! 

A-Z Challenge: L is for Love

Today is the twelfth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. As you probably know by now, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter L and I'm writing about Love-arguably the greatest emotion of them all.

Love comes in many forms: fondness, sexual attraction, friendship, familial love, adoration, infatuation, 'true love' and agape (the kind of love which expects nothing in return eg. love of God or charity). It's not always a positive emotion-sometimes it can be destructive, for instance when our love is unrequited or we love someone that always hurts us. However, ultimately love is what makes the world go round. Love gives our lives meaning and shapes our personalities. Without love the world would be a very dark and hollow place.

A-Z Challenge: K is for Kindness

Today is the eleventh day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. As you probably know by now, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter K and I must admitt that I struggled with this one. I don't think there is a genuine emotion tht begins with K as such, unless you count 'keenness' but what on earth do you write about that? So I'm writing about kindness, which I take to be not just a personality trait but a mental state in which you are feeling kind.

A-Z Challenge: J is for Joy

Today is the tenth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. As you probably know by now, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter J and what better emotion to focus on than Joy?

Joy is one of the purest, most uplifting emotions. It isn't clouded by any other states, it's refreshingly simple. True joy can be hard to come by sometimes. It's different to an overall feeling of happiness and contentment- it's the kind of strong delight or elation that can make us laugh or cry.

A-Z Challenge: I is for Ignorance and Innocence

Today is the ninth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter I and I couldn't decide whether to write about Ignorance or Innocence, so I'm doing both.

Ignorance and Innocence are both related to a lack of knowledge and understanding. But there are distinct differences. Innocence is a more positive term suggesting naiveté and purity. Innocence is endearing. Today we want our children to hang on to their innocence for as long as possible before they are corrupted by knowledge of the terrible things that happen in the world. We romanticise the memories of when we were young and innocent-when we used to believe in Father Christmas and wish on stars- before the world made us sceptical and pessimistic.

A-Z Challenge: H is for Hope

Today is the eighth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter H and I'm going to write about Hope.

In the broad sense, hope is the belief in a positive outcome, but we use the term in many ways. When we say "I hope it will stay sunny today", what we really mean is that we wish it will stay sunny, but we do not neccessarily believe it will. However when we say "I still have hope that thinks will work out okay", we mean that there is a part of us that really believes that thinks will work out.

A-Z Challenge: G is for Grief

Today is the seventh day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter G and I decided to write about Grief.

Grief is a difficult, confusing mental state comprised of many often conflicting emotions.It's characterised by an overwhelming sense of loss, sadness and despair about a loved one's passing, but often includes guilt ("I should have gone to see him in hospital"), fear ("I don't want to lose anyone else"), confusion ("I don't understand how this happened") and even a sense of relief ("thank goodness he doesn't have to suffer anymore and I can move on with my life").  It is usually brought about by the death of a loved one, but not neccessarily immediately after- it can still affect people many years later. Grief can also be felt about other kinds of seperation such as the breakdown of a relationship or the loss of a job.

A-Z Challenge: F is for Fear

Today is the sixth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter F and so I'm going to write about Fear.

Fear comes in many shapes and sizes. There are instinctual fears that seem to have evolved to protect us such as the fear of falling from a height, the fear of burning your hand in a fire. There are fears related to future consequences-the worry that we may lose our job or that our partner may lose interest in us. Those fears can be based on reason or they can come from our naturally insecure nature. Then there is the kind of fear that thrills us, as when we watch a scary horror movie or ride a rollercoaster. That kind of fear is enjoyable for most people, because the danger is not real. Then there are the powerful, crippling fears that seem to have no basis in rationality.

A-Z Challenge: E is for Envy

Today is the fifth day of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Just to remind you, I'm doing an A-Z of human emotions, feelings and mental states.Today is the letter E and so I'm going to write about Envy. I whipped up a short story for you on my lunchbreak yesturday, here goes.