In this mini episode of Let’s Get Emotional, Tatiana Rojas, licensed marriage and family therapist, explores a phrase we use all the time: “I feel like.” It might seem like a small detail in the way we talk, but have you ever stopped to notice what comes after those words?

Maybe you’ve said, “I feel like nobody’s listening to me,” or “I feel like I’m failing.” You know something is going on emotionally, and you’re trying to put it into words. But sometimes, what we say describes what we think is happening rather than how we actually feel.

This episode explores emotional awareness, emotional language, and the difference between thoughts and feelings. Tatiana looks at why it can be easier to explain a situation than to describe our emotional experience, and how this can show up in everyday conversations and relationships.

You’ll also explore why the words we use to describe our experiences matter, especially when we’re trying to help someone else understand us. Without needing to find the perfect words or get everything right, there are small ways to become more curious about what we’re feeling and how we express it.

If you’ve ever struggled to answer the question “How do you feel?” or found yourself explaining everything that happened without quite knowing how to describe your emotions, this mini episode offers a gentle place to start.

In this episode, explore:

• Why “I feel like” doesn’t always describe an actual emotion
• The difference between thoughts, interpretations, and feelings
• Why we often explain what happened instead of naming how we feel
• How unrecognized emotions can affect conversations and relationships
• What might be underneath statements like “I feel like nobody cares”
• How naming an emotion can help you communicate more clearly
• Why you don’t have to choose between explaining the situation and expressing your feelings
• Simple phrases to help you identify and describe your emotional experience
• A practical exercise for noticing when you say “I feel like”
• How emotional fluency helps you build the language to understand your feelings over time

If you’re interested in developing a better understanding of your emotions and finding the words to express them, Tatiana also shares a little about the Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings course, created to help you explore your emotional experiences and build your emotional vocabulary.

Until next time, remember: you don’t have to have all the words right away. Sometimes, simply noticing how you talk about your feelings can be the beginning of understanding them a little better.

Resources:

Website: http://www.ownyourbloom.com/

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4vdkdsk7

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/4c6kdubc

Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4stkzjk5

In this mini episode of Let’s Get Emotional, Tatiana Rojas explores why we don’t always understand our emotional reactions in the moment—and why realizing how you feel hours, days, or even weeks later doesn’t mean you missed something.

Sometimes a conversation seems fine until you find yourself replaying it later. A comment suddenly lands differently. You realize you felt dismissed, uncomfortable, hurt, or affected in a way you couldn’t recognize at the time. As Tatiana explains, the reaction may not have appeared later—it may simply have taken time and space for you to recognize it.

This episode explores delayed emotional awareness, emotional processing, self-awareness, and understanding your feelings without turning your past reactions into something to criticize. When we’re busy responding, managing a situation, or simply getting through the day, we may not have enough space to process what we’re experiencing. Later, with more distance, we can notice what was happening internally and make sense of our emotional response.

You’ll learn why hindsight can give you information you didn’t have in the moment, how emotional reactions can become clearer with distance, and how to replace self-critical questions like “Why didn’t I realize this sooner?” with a more useful question: “What makes more sense to me now?”

The episode also includes a guided emotional reflection to help you revisit a recent experience, notice what became clearer afterward, and understand your reaction with more compassion and context. You’ll be invited to consider what you were focused on at the time, what you noticed later, and what you understand now that you may not have been able to see then.

If you’re learning to better understand your emotions, build emotional awareness, or find the words to describe what you’re experiencing, this mini episode offers a simple place to pause and reflect.

In this episode, explore:

• Why you may understand an emotional reaction later
• Delayed emotional awareness and emotional processing
• Why hindsight can provide valuable emotional information
• Understanding feelings after difficult conversations
• Recognizing emotions during busy or stressful periods
• How emotional awareness develops with distance and reflection
• Moving away from self-criticism and “I should have known” thinking
• Questions that can help you better understand your emotional experiences
• A guided reflection for making sense of a past reaction
• How emotional fluency can help you put your experiences into words

If this episode leaves you thinking, “I wish I understood this part of myself better,” Tatiana also introduces the Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings course, created to explore how emotions show up, how to understand your emotional experiences, and how to put what you’re feeling into words.

Until next time, remember: you don’t have to understand every emotion immediately. Sometimes you simply need a little time and distance to make sense of what you’re feeling.

Resources:

Website: http://www.ownyourbloom.com/

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4vdkdsk7

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/4c6kdubc

Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4stkzjk5

Coming soon: Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings, launching through Own Your Bloom.

In this mini episode of Let’s Get Emotional, Tatiana Rojas explores why you can experience more than one feeling at the same time — and why mixed emotions don’t necessarily mean something is wrong.

Have you ever felt excited about a new opportunity but nervous about the change? Known you made the right decision but still felt sad about it? Cared about someone while also feeling frustrated, disappointed, or unsure?

Our emotional experiences are rarely as simple as we expect them to be. We often assume that a situation should create one obvious feeling, and when our reaction doesn’t match that expectation, we may start questioning ourselves: “Why do I feel this way?” “Did I make the wrong decision?” or “Shouldn’t I be happier?”

Tatiana explores how mixed feelings and conflicting emotions can coexist without canceling each other out. You can want something and still miss what you’re leaving behind. You can feel happy and nervous. You can understand someone’s perspective and still feel hurt. Learning to recognize these layers can be an important part of emotional awareness, emotional intelligence, and emotional fluency.

This episode also includes a guided emotional reflection to help you slow down and explore a situation in your own life where you may be experiencing more than one reaction. Rather than asking, “Which feeling makes the most sense?”, you’ll be invited to consider a more useful question: “Can more than one reaction make sense here?”

If you’re working on understanding your emotions, finding the right words for your feelings, or becoming more emotionally aware, this reflection offers a simple way to begin.

And if you find yourself thinking, “I wish I understood this part of myself better,” Tatiana also introduces the Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings course, created to help you better understand your emotional experiences and develop the language to describe what you’re feeling.

The course launches in September through Own Your Bloom. Follow Own Your Bloom on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated on the course and upcoming resources.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• Why you can experience multiple emotions at the same time
• What mixed feelings can tell you about an experience
• Why feeling sad doesn’t necessarily mean you made the wrong decision
• How excitement and anxiety can coexist
• Understanding conflicting emotions in relationships
• How to stop judging yourself for having complicated reactions
• A guided reflection for identifying multiple emotional responses
• How emotional awareness can help you better understand yourself
• The connection between emotional vocabulary and emotional fluency

Reflection question:
Instead of asking, “Which feeling makes the most sense?” try asking, “Can more than one reaction make sense here?”

Resources:

Website: http://www.ownyourbloom.com/

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4vdkdsk7

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/4c6kdubc

Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4stkzjk5

Coming soon: Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings, launching through Own Your Bloom.

Do you find yourself saying “I’m stressed,” “I’m tired,” “I’m annoyed,” or “I’m fine” without really stopping to ask what you’re feeling underneath the words?

In this mini episode of Let’s Get Emotional, Tatiana Rojas explores how the emotional words we use on repeat can sometimes become shortcuts for experiences that are actually very different. Stress from having too much to do may not feel the same as stress from uncertainty, conflict, disappointment, or feeling pulled in too many directions.

Rather than trying to find the “right” emotion or overanalyze every feeling, Tatiana invites you to become more curious about your own emotional language: What words do you reach for most often? What do those words actually mean for you? And does the same word describe different experiences?

You’ll be guided through a simple reflection designed to help you notice your familiar emotional patterns and develop a more nuanced understanding of what’s happening internally.

This episode is a starting point for building emotional fluency—the ability to better understand your emotional experiences and put them into words. If you find yourself thinking, “I wish I understood this part of myself better,” Tatiana also introduces her Let’s Get Emotional – Emotional Fluency: Learning the Language of Feelings course, where you can go deeper into understanding emotions, expanding your emotional vocabulary, and making sense of your feelings at your own pace.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• Why we rely on the same emotional words over and over
• What “I’m stressed” might actually mean in different situations
• How your family and environment shaped your emotional vocabulary
• Why some emotions can feel easier or safer to name than others
• How to recognize patterns in the words you use to describe your feelings
• A guided reflection to help you understand your own emotional language
• How developing emotional fluency can help you better understand what you're experiencing

If you're ready to move beyond simply saying “I’m fine,” “I’m stressed,” or “I’m annoyed” and start understanding what you're actually experiencing, this episode is a place to begin.

Resources:

Website: http://www.ownyourbloom.com/

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4vdkdsk7

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/4c6kdubc

Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4stkzjk5

You know something is wrong—but when someone asks, “What are you feeling?”, you don’t know what to say.

Maybe you say “I’m fine.” Maybe you say “I’m stressed.” Or maybe you become frustrated because you can feel something happening inside you, but you can’t quite find the words to explain it.

In this episode of Let’s Get Emotional, Tatiana Rojas explores the gap between experiencing an emotion and having the emotional language to understand and communicate it. Because emotional awareness isn’t always about immediately knowing exactly what you feel. Sometimes you notice the reaction first—the irritation, withdrawal, racing thoughts, tension, or desire to be alone—and only later begin to understand what was underneath it.

This matters because the better you understand your emotional experiences, the easier it becomes to communicate your needs, recognize patterns, navigate relationships, and respond to yourself with greater clarity and self-compassion.

Tatiana walks through a familiar everyday example: coming home after a long day with very little emotional capacity left, only to become unexpectedly irritated by something as simple as being asked what you want for dinner. The question isn't necessarily the problem. Your nervous system, mental load, and everything you've been carrying throughout the day may be part of the story.

The question becomes: How do you learn to recognize what’s happening inside you before it turns into frustration, disconnection, or conflict?

This episode includes a guided emotional reflection designed to help you begin practicing that process. Rather than forcing yourself to immediately name an emotion, you'll learn to start with what you noticed—your energy, thoughts, behavior, physical sensations, and reactions—and work toward understanding from there.

You'll also hear why “I don't know yet” can be an important part of emotional communication rather than a failure to understand yourself.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why you can experience an emotion without immediately knowing what it is
• Why finding the right words for your feelings can be difficult
• How emotional awareness develops through practice
• How to recognize emotional patterns before you can name them
• Why your reactions may make more sense once you understand what you've been carrying
• How emotional language can improve communication and relationships
• How to give yourself permission to say, “I’m still figuring it out”
• A guided reflection to help you better understand a recent emotional reaction
• Why developing emotional fluency can change the way you relate to yourself and others

If you regularly find yourself saying “I don't know what I'm feeling,” “I can't explain what's wrong,” or “I know something is bothering me but I don't know why,” this episode is an invitation to go deeper.

Because emotional fluency isn't about having the perfect word for every feeling. It's about developing the awareness, language, and confidence to understand your inner experience—and eventually communicate it with greater clarity.

Ready to go deeper?

If this episode made you think, “I wish I understood this part of myself better,” that's exactly where deeper emotional learning can begin.

Let’s Get Emotional: Emotional Fluency – Learning the Language of Feelings is a course created by Tatiana Rojas to help you better understand how emotions show up, develop greater emotional awareness, and build the language to express what you're experiencing.

The course launches in September through Own Your Bloom. Follow Own Your Bloom on Instagram and TikTok for updates and more information as the launch approaches.

Resources:

Website: http://www.ownyourbloom.com/

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4vdkdsk7

TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/4c6kdubc

Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4stkzjk5

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most misunderstood emotions we experience: pride. While pride is often confused with arrogance or narcissism, healthy pride is actually an essential emotion that helps build confidence, resilience, motivation, self-esteem, and a strong sense of identity.

If you've ever struggled to celebrate your accomplishments, minimized your successes, battled imposter syndrome, perfectionism, low self-worth, or wondered whether feeling proud makes you selfish or arrogant, this episode offers practical tools to help you understand the psychology of pride and develop healthier self-confidence.

Tatiana and Jennifer break down the psychology and neuroscience of pride, explaining why researchers identify two distinct forms of pride: authentic pride, which is built through effort, persistence, and personal growth, and hubristic pride, which is rooted in superiority and fragile self-worth. They discuss how healthy pride strengthens emotional regulation, motivation, resilience, and long-term wellbeing, while unhealthy pride can contribute to defensiveness, narcissism, and disconnection from others.

You'll learn how pride develops throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, how it influences identity formation and self-esteem, and how it often shows up physically through an open posture, grounded confidence, relaxed breathing, warmth in the chest, and a calm sense of accomplishment.

Drawing from research, therapeutic approaches, and real-world clinical experience, the hosts explore the connection between pride, self-compassion, emotional intelligence, perfectionism, trauma, shame, imposter syndrome, and mental health. They also discuss why many high-achievers, caregivers, helping professionals, and people recovering from trauma often struggle to acknowledge their own accomplishments and how learning to embrace healthy pride supports emotional healing and personal growth.

Whether you're working to improve your confidence, overcome perfectionism, build healthier self-esteem, recover from shame, or simply understand your emotions more deeply, this episode provides practical strategies for developing authentic pride, emotional resilience, and lasting self-worth.

In This Episode:

• What pride is and why it serves an important emotional purpose
• The difference between authentic pride and hubristic pride
• Why healthy pride is not the same as arrogance or narcissism
• The psychology and neuroscience of pride
• How pride strengthens confidence, resilience, motivation, and self-esteem
• Why perfectionism, imposter syndrome, trauma, and shame make pride difficult
• How pride develops from childhood through adulthood
• Physical signs of healthy pride and emotional regulation
• The connection between pride, identity, and long-term personal growth
• How self-compassion supports healthy pride and emotional wellbeing
• Practical strategies for recognizing your accomplishments without minimizing them
• Understanding the role of pride in parenting, caregiving, leadership, and relationships
• A research-backed self-compassion exercise for building authentic pride
• How to celebrate progress while maintaining humility
• Learning to replace self-criticism with self-recognition and emotional balance

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas
https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer:

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most common yet misunderstood human emotions: anxiety. While anxiety is often viewed as something to eliminate, this episode explains how anxiety is actually a normal protective response designed to keep us safe and what happens when that system becomes overactive or dysregulated.

If you've ever struggled with chronic worry, racing thoughts, panic, overthinking, or feeling constantly on edge, this conversation provides practical, research-backed insights into what's happening inside your brain and body. Tatiana and Jennifer explain the psychology and neuroscience of anxiety, including how the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, sympathetic nervous system, cortisol, and adrenaline influence the way anxiety feels and why it can be so difficult to "just relax."

You'll learn the important difference between anxiety and fear, why anxiety is future-oriented, how catastrophic thinking and "what if" loops keep anxiety alive, and how cognitive distortions can make everyday situations feel overwhelming. The hosts also discuss how anxiety presents differently across toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults, helping listeners recognize the emotional, cognitive, and physical signs of anxiety throughout every stage of life.

Drawing from neuroscience, psychological research, and clinical experience, Tatiana and Jennifer share evidence-based approaches for managing anxiety, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, EMDR, mindfulness, grounding exercises, and nervous system regulation. They also introduce simple but powerful tools you can use immediately, including the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique and the WAIT framework to interrupt anxious thought patterns and reconnect with the present moment.

Whether you're navigating generalized anxiety, panic attacks, health anxiety, social anxiety, trauma recovery, ADHD, chronic stress, burnout, or persistent overthinking, this episode offers compassionate guidance and practical strategies to help you regulate your nervous system, build emotional resilience, and respond to anxiety with greater confidence and self-awareness.

In This Episode:

• What anxiety really is and why it's a normal human emotion
• The difference between anxiety and fear
• How anxiety affects the brain, nervous system, and body
• The role of the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, cortisol, and adrenaline
• Why catastrophic thinking and "what if" loops fuel anxiety
• Common cognitive distortions that increase anxious thinking
• How anxiety presents differently in children, teens, and adults
• Physical symptoms of anxiety including racing heart, muscle tension, nausea, and insomnia
• When anxiety becomes a clinical concern and when to seek professional help
• Understanding generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, health anxiety, and social anxiety
• Evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy, and EMDR
• The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for calming the nervous system
• The WAIT method for responding to anxious thoughts with greater clarity
• Practical strategies for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and reducing overthinking

Links & Resources:
Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most powerful and misunderstood human emotions: love. While love is often associated with romance, this episode reveals that love is much more than attraction—it's a biological, psychological, and emotional system that shapes our relationships, nervous system, mental health, and overall well-being.

Together, they unpack the psychology and neuroscience of love, explaining how love develops across the lifespan—from childhood and family relationships to friendships, romantic partnerships, caregiving, and self-love. You'll learn how love is experienced in the brain and body, why secure attachment matters, and how early life experiences influence the way we give, receive, and protect ourselves from love.

Tatiana and Dr. Jennifer explain the connection between attachment theory, trauma, emotional regulation, and polyvagal theory, showing how love functions as a powerful regulator of stress and safety. They also discuss the roles of dopamine, oxytocin, and the nervous system in creating connection, trust, resilience, and emotional security.

The conversation also explores common barriers to experiencing love, including insecure attachment, fear of vulnerability, shame, people-pleasing, emotional avoidance, and past trauma. Rather than seeing these as signs that someone is incapable of love, the hosts explain how they often represent protective survival responses that can be healed.

You'll also discover evidence-based strategies to cultivate healthier relationships and deeper connection through self-compassion, loving-kindness meditation, gratitude, attachment repair, and intentional acts of connection. As always, the episode includes practical emotional regulation exercises that help you better understand how love feels in your body and how to communicate it more clearly in your relationships.

Whether you're looking to strengthen your relationships, heal from past wounds, improve your emotional health, build self-love, or simply better understand the science behind one of our most meaningful emotions, this episode offers practical tools grounded in psychology, neuroscience, and clinical research.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What love really is beyond romance and attraction
• The psychology and neuroscience of love
• How attachment styles shape relationships
• The connection between love, trauma, and emotional regulation
• How love affects the brain, nervous system, dopamine, and oxytocin
• Why secure attachment improves emotional resilience and mental health
• The difference between romantic love, family love, friendship, caregiving, and self-love
• How shame, fear, and past experiences can interfere with connection
• Evidence-based ways to build healthier relationships
• Practical tools for cultivating self-love, compassion, gratitude, and emotional connection

Perfect for anyone searching for:

• How to build healthy relationships
• Self-love and self-worth
• Attachment styles explained
• The neuroscience of love
• Psychology of love
• Emotional regulation
• Healing from relationship trauma
• Secure attachment
• Nervous system regulation
• Mental health and relationships
• Love languages and emotional connection
• Self-compassion practices
• Emotional wellness
• Relationship psychology