Identifying your emotions
Your ability to identify what you're feeling can vary greatly from person to person and from day to day.
If you're working with a collection and you find it's made you feel 'off', either take a break or work on something else for a moment. You don't need to name the emotion for it to be valid.
You can also look at the tools below to help identify what it is you're feeling.
Use an emotions wheel
There are many different emotion wheels available online but they all serve the same purpose. They divide up emotions, starting with the primary ones in the centre and ending with the more specific ones on the outer edge. It's designed to help you understand what you might be feeling by starting with one of the broader categories in the middle and then allowing you to follow it outwards until you land on an emotion that matches best with yours.
Keep a diary
Keeping a diary while interacting with a collection can help you identify what you're feeling. It doesn't have to be long or complex. It can simply be a word document where you answer the question 'what am I feeling?'. You may wish to do this at the start of each week to help identify any emotions or things going on in your life that may impact your work that week. Alternatively, you may wish to do it at the end of each cataloguing session to see if you can identify any patterns.
Complete a course
Wellcome employees currently have access to Headspace. Headspace has a range of courses designed to help with processing your emotions and mental health. These include 'Calming an Anxious Mind', 'Letting Go of Stress', and 'Learn the Basics of Meditiation' among many others.
You can learn how to access Headspace here:
Listen to your colleagues
Sometimes you might not identify that your work or the collection you're working on is impacting you negatively. If a colleague ever suggests that this is happening or that you should take a break, listen to them. It's possible they've seen something in your facial expression or body language that your own mind has yet to recognise. Stop the work and step away for at least 5 mins.
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