Faux feeling A need dressed up as a feeling
Accepted
Not a feeling: a need, named as met or missing.
‘I think you take me as I am.’
Why it’s not a feeling
Accepted is built on the need for acceptance and says it is met: you believe others take you as you are. Swap ‘I feel’ for ‘I think’ and the sentence still works, so it is a thought about how you are received. The feeling under it might be relief, or a body that finally relaxes.
Feelings underneath
Needs
When these needs are met
Saying it as a feeling
‘I feel accepted.’
When I said I don’t drink and you poured me a lemonade without comment, I felt relieved and relaxed, because I need acceptance and belonging.