Some guidelines about expressing feelings: ■Don’t focus on the other person, “You are making me mad.” Instead, take responsibility for what you are feeling, “I am feeling angry.” ■Don’t use feeling words to describe what you are thinking, as in “I feel like Joe was trying to take advantage of me.” ■Instead, pay attention to what you are experiencing in your body, “I’m feeling helpless and frightened.” ■In general, try to begin feeling statements with “I,” rather than “you.” Try to avoid the crutch of saying “I feel like.” As in, “I feel like you are being mean to me.”
