NVC Needs/Feelings

Our feelings help guide us inwardly to determine what’s going on inside… specifically what NEEDS ARE met or what NEEDS ARE NOT met . Feelings are always directly connected to a need and therefore act as a perfect “inner compases” to discover the need. Need fulfillment  for all involved is at the heart of NVC!
Below is a :
 List of FEELINGS put into 2 categories:                                                                                                            1. How we might feel when our needs are being met                                                                                                                                                                                             2. How we might feel when our needs are not being met:
and following is a:                                                                                                                                                                List of NEEDS —
FEELINGS; How we might feel when our needs are being met:

Absorbed

Adventurous

Affectionate

Alert

Alive

Amazed

Amused

Animated

Appreciative

Ardent

Aroused

Astonished

Blissful

Breathless

Buoyant

Calm

Carefree

Cheerful

Comfortable

Complacent

Composed

Concerned

Confident

Contented

Cool

Curious

Dazzled

Delighted

Eager

Ebullient

Ecstatic

Effervescent

Elated

Enchanted

Encouraged

Energetic

Engrossed

Enlivened

Enthusiastic

Excited

Exhilarated

Expansive

Expectant

Exultant

Fascinated

Free

Friendly

Fulfilled

Glad

Gleeful

Glorious

Glowing

good-humored

Grateful

Gratified

Happy

Helpful

Hopeful

Inquisitive

Inspired

Intense

Interested

Intrigued

Invigorated

Involved

Joyous

Joyful

Jubilant

keyed-up

Loving

Mellow

Merry

Mirthful

Moved

Optimistic

Overjoyed

Overwhelmed

Peaceful

Perky

Pleasant

Pleased

Proud

Quiet

Radiant

Rapturous

Refreshed

Relaxed

Relieved

Satisfied

Secure

Sensitive

Serene

Spellbound

Splendid

Stimulated

Surprised

Tender

Thankful

Thrilled

Touched

Tranquil

Trusting

Upbeat

Warm

wide-awake

Wonderful

Zestful

How we might feel when our needs ARE NOT being met:

Afraid

Aggravated

Agitated

Alarmed

Aloof

Angry

Anguished

Annoyed

Anxious

Apathetic

Apprehensive

Aroused

Ashamed

Beat

Bewildered

Bitter

Blah

Blue

Bored

Brokenhearted

Chagrined

Cold

Concerned

Confused

Cool

Cross

Dejected

Depressed

Despairing

Despondent

Detached

Disaffected

Disappointed

Discouraged

Disenchanted

Disgruntled

Disgusted

Disheartened

Dismayed

Displeased

Disquieted

Distressed

Disturbed

Downcast

Downhearted

Dull

Edgy

Embarrassed

Embittered

Exasperated

Exhausted

Fatigued

Fearful

Fidgety

Forlorn

Frightened

Frustrated

Furious

Gloomy

Guilty

Harried

Heavy

Helpless

Hesitant

Horrible

Horrified

Hostile

Hot

Humdrum

Hurt

Impatient

Indifferent

Intense

Irate

Irked

Irritated

Jealous

Jittery

keyed-up

Lazy

Leery

Lethargic

Listless

Lonely

Mad

Mean

Miserable

Mopey

Morose

Mournful

Nervous

Nettled

Numb

Overwhelmed

Panicky

passive

Perplexed

Pessimistic

Puzzled

Rancorous

Reluctant

Repelled

Resentful

Restless

Sad

Scared

Sensitive

Shaky

Shocked

Skeptical

Sleepy

Sorrowful

Sorry

Spiritless

Startled

Surprised

Suspicious

Tepid

Terrified

Tired

Troubled

uncomfortable

Unconcerned

Uneasy

Unglued

Unhappy

Unnerved

Unsteady

Upset

Uptight

Vexed

Weary

Wistful

Withdrawn

Woeful

Worried

wretched

Below is a list of  EVALUATIONS, MASQUERADING as feelings (How we might interpret somebody’s behavior toward us/in other words , what we think they are doing to us and are NOT considered true feeling words in NVC!)  We advise to translate into the feeling words above to minimize the likelihood of defensive reactiveness …and therefore  instead to  support the likelihood of hearing another and being heard by another!

When we think of what others have done to us we use words like:

Abandoned

Abused

Attacked

Betrayed

Boxed-in

Bullied

Cheated

Coerced

Co-opted

Cornered

Diminished

Distrusted

Interrupted

Intimidated

Let down

Manipulated

Misunderstood

Neglected

Overworked

Patronized

Pressured

Provoked

Put down

Rejected

Taken for granted

Threatened

Unappreciated

Unheard

Unseen

Unsupported

Unwanted

Used

List of needs

CONNECTION

acceptance

affection

appreciation

belonging

cooperation

communication

closeness

community

companionship

compassion

consideration

consistency

empathy

inclusion

intimacy

love

mutuality

nurturing

respect/self-respect

safety

security

stability

support

to know and be known

to see and be seen

to understand and

be understood

trust

warmth

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

air

food

movement/exercise

rest/sleep

sexual expression

safety

shelter

touch

Water

HONESTY

authenticity

integrity

presence

PLAY

joy

humor

PEACE

beauty

communion

ease

equality

harmony

inspiration

order

AUTONOMY

choice

freedom

independence

space

spontaneity

MEANING

awareness

celebration of life

challenge

clarity

competence

consciousness

contribution

creativity

discovery

efficacy

effectiveness

growth

hope

learning

mourning

participation

purpose

self-expression

stimulation

to matter

Understanding

 

The contents of this page were sourced from:

(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication

Website: www.cnvc.org Email: cnvc@cnvc.org

Phone: +1.505-244-4041