Do you recognize and express emotions?

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Sometimes it's hard to identify our own emotions, at least it is for me. I'll feel uneasy or upset and I can't tell if I'm angry or sad, or something else. And then when I do know how I'm feeling, I'm not sure if it's okay to talk about it to the few people I am close to, because I don't want to burden them, or even my therapist, because I'm not sure what to say.

Do you have people that you talk to about your feelings? Are you good at identifying what you're feeling?

I don't really have anyone who talks about my feelings on a regular basis. My Mum probably comes the closest to asking about my feelings but only occasionally because she is so busy with her own life.

Half awake here. Hopefully I'll make sense. Emotions are problematic for me. I have alexithymia. The only emotions I'm ever sure I feel are amused/positive (most common), angry (less often these days), and (rarely) sad. I know I have to feel things because I'll get bodily sensations, but usually I have no idea what I'm feeling and often I'm not even sure what prompted the sensation...so then I'll think back on what's happened or is happening and try to decide if any emotion words are fitting and appropriate to the situation. It's easy to do for things like being unsuccessful trying to hang a picture straight on the wall. Frustrated would be the proper word/emotion. But it's not so easy for things like interactions with people. I also get overwhelmed by emotions and then disassociate from them and go back to feeling nothing. That happens the most if I'm in a situation where I would likely be feeling more than one emotion at once, or even if it's an intense emotion. 'Nothing' is my comfort state with feelings. It's a pain, to say the least. I'd like to be more emotionally intelligent. Being this way does me no favors, that's for sure.

As for if I have people I talk to about emotions... yes? No? I relate to not wanting to talk about emotions if you don't even know what you're feeling. I tend to think if I don't even know, why would I bother with bothering people with it all. I seem to think I have to have it all figured out before speaking up. Sometimes I will talk about emotions, I do have people I can talk to about this stuff if I'm inclined, but mostly I don't.

Oh ,you meant reading your own emotions ...! Can kinda echo the Fleas sentiments in the above post.
But in my life have run into repeated psychopaths. Whom go out of their way to get to trigger a emotional response out of a person . Police detectives use this technique . And the odd Sadist. Whom just want to see you cry or breakdown .
So early on started to armour plate my feelings, Now it is much easier to identify those type of people .Whom attempt to create a emotional response in me . Makes genuine automatic gestures of emotion alittle hard to keep up with.
But it is a much nicer way to live. If you can . For a time thought ,because of my upbringing,I must of had my emotions
extracted from my personality . And growing up around Star Trek and Mr Spock character ,Data &,7of9,characters .
Did not think it was so bad to lose emotions . But that was reasoned out , with a much "younger" mindset.
And having those Mr Spock atitudes got me through some aweful times . Later on, if your in the" right company", those emotions are something to share , and become more human with the ones you trust. And to be enjoyed both good and bad. ( issues being ,sometimes the bad emotions ( focused on alittle too much, ) can stymie your growth.)

I struggle with finding the emotions that I'm supposed to feel

I've learned what sad feels like and also I think I've learned what happy feels like as well

It's something I'm working on anyway

Too much.
Too much recognition and too much expression that everyone might as well see too obvious patterns within me at certain states, and not understanding everything in depth at the same time.

Like I know what I actually feel, what I'm supposed to feel, what I'd rather feel, what other people likely feel, etc.
Doesn't necessarily meant knowing what to do with it, how to carry it, how to work around it, etc.

And so much so I wish that I had nothing to do with it.

I don't like it. I acknowledge but...
I cannot afford it. I do not accept it.

Explain?
Not even the emotion wheel with hundreds of terms can explain it.
And language is my weakness...

Even if I have countless of people to talk about it; odds are they won't get it.

They give similar cyclical answers that will work out amongst them, and almost nothing about me.

Like, their POVs the same -- to them, it interprets that's the likely case scenario, the 'truth' and it's all my fault for not following through because *insert personality flaws here*.

Bonus points, people accusing me of not taking their advice or willfully making it to be complicated than it should.

Unless they're too out there, too advanced that it's not something NTs can ever hope to attain, or likely neurodivergent themselves with tons of experience under their belt.


I don't like words and wording almost as much as I hate emotional dysregulation.

But I had to. Had to. I wish I never had to.
I see emotions and expressions more of an obstacle, more like a form of incontinence that I have to manage -- than a source of information and knowing who I'm and others.

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