Why is the inner “monkey” deadly afraid of feelings thermometer?

Hello. I am Alex. My emotions distracted me like an autumn leaf when I was a teenager. Why? The inner monkey lived (and still lives) in me.

Who is the inner monkey?

Inner monkey is an undeveloped part of your inner personality. It’s like a split part of you that craves the subconscious things—entertainment and… It’s something other than an inner critic. The inner critic at least likes to wear glasses, and the inner monkey is extremely difficult to control.

The inner monkey is connected to your brain so it can control your body and tongue. And when you don’t control your tongue, you can quarrel with friends, bosses, co-workers. There are indeed different types of inner monkeys. Some are angry, and others like to throw themselves from one corner to another.

“No, I don’t have an inner monkey,” someone will say. But the monkey is an interpretation. A boogeyman, a lizard, a hen, a rat, or a dog barking at colleagues, passers-by can live in our minds… 

After all, did you see the driver stopped in the middle of the road and barked at the other driver? Who do you think lives in him?

On the other hand, that inner “animal” is not always bad. It’s cute sometimes, especially if you’re acting like a cute kitty. 

However, the kitten also causes problems at times, so care should be taken with your inner animals.

How to control your inner “animal”

I have tried many ways. The smartest way is to learn to watch yourself from the side.

How to watch yourself and your inner monkey from the side

Do you remember when you were shivering? You thought, “Where is the thermometer? If it shows 37 or more, it means that I…” The thermometer helps you understand what is happening to your body, and when you feel an influx of emotions, I would suggest using a “feelings thermometer.” 

Your inner monkey is afraid of the “feelings thermometer,” so it comes up with ways to discourage you from using this tool. Your inner monkey whispers to you, “The feelings thermometer is nonsense! It’s a kid’s game! IT WILL NOT WORK! We’d better play a computer game or watch a series!!! Or maybe let’s eat???”

What is the feelings thermometer?

Feelings thermometer (also known as an emotional thermometer, happiness thermometer, mood thermometer) is a visual tool that helps you measure how you feel in your state. Psychologists also recommend this tool. The Emotion Thermometer tool is a serious screening tool for detecting and monitoring emotional disorders in clinical practice. 

Many studies have proven that an emotion thermometer helps detect psychological distress early and thus enables the timely provision of adequate treatment. The emotion thermometer (ET) is a validated screening tool including five dimensions (distress, anxiety, depression, anger, and need-for-help).

By the way, it’s not only about measuring. It helps to prevent:

1. Divorce. 
2. Disputes on the street.
3. International, global problems (because some countries’ leaders are too emotional).
4. A bad mood that sometimes controls you, reader.

Oh yes, an emotional thermometer helps to understand WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU FEEL. It’s very important because people who don’t understand their emotions start to act like dogs.

After all, dogs bark not because they want to but because emotions drive them.

Actually, an emotion thermometer is the first step for those who want to learn emotions intelligence. In other words, it impacts everyday life more seriously than people imagine. Because if you learn to understand and change your mood, your life will become happier.

What kind of people need a feelings thermometer  

If you are a great person and you don’t need to look at yourself from the side, know that your kids will need information about the feelings thermometer! It’s true that emotions are talked about in kindergartens and schools, but not as often as they should be. After all, a child’s happiness depends on understanding what emotions are. If your kids don’t know how to watch their emotions from the side, how will they handle them?

Examples of emotion thermometer

There are various options for thermometers available on the Internet. But you can make your own version.

I will share some ideas:

How to use feelings thermometer (printable file)

Print a file named “Feelings Thermometer PDF.” Download and print from here.    

Have you already printed it?

Then mark the level of emotion. See it as a game.

Believe me, if you do this action once, life will remain as it was.

But if you watch yourself and your emotions daily, you will begin to control your life, actions, emotions, and happiness. Oh yeah, that would be amazing! Everything is in your hands, dear reader!

Sources and scientific papers:

Healthline: How to become a boss of your emotions
Can the Distress Thermometer be improved by additional mood domains?
Music therapy and emotional expression during chemotherapy