Emotions are complex things. One helpful way to think about them is how there may be some basic emotions, and then others that are commonly associated with them or sometimes used as alternatives. For example, there can be different varieties of anger-related feelings, such as irritated, frustrated, annoyed and so on. 

Taken from The Compassionate Mind Approach to Emotional Difficulties, have a look at the table below (or download here) to look at the idea of an emotions family tree. And after this, you might find it helpful to have a go at rating how often you experience each of these emotions. 

If you’d like some help to work with learning more about your emotions and how to manage them, have a read of the Difficult Emotions book, or try some of our self-compassion courses here which have been found to help our ability to wisely manage our emotions