Resource: the Emotions Wheel to Reclaim Clarity
In Episode 2 of Narcissism at Work, we explore how narcissistic leadership destabilises your confidence and sense of self. One of the tools we highlight is the Emotions Wheel, a simple yet powerful resource to help you name and process what you’re really feeling. Originally developed by psychologist Dr. Robert Plutchik, the Emotions Wheel maps out core emotions and their nuanced variations, helping people build emotional literacy—a key skill in recognising and healing from gaslighting at work.
Why This Matters
When you work under a toxic leader or in a manipulative workplace, the line between reality and illusion can become dangerously blurred. You may hear phrases like:
“You’re being too sensitive.”
“I was just joking.”
“Everyone else seems fine, why can’t you keep up?”
Over time, this form of gaslighting in the workplace erodes your ability to trust your instincts. You begin to doubt your own emotions, minimise what you’re feeling, and rationalise the behaviour as something you should "toughen up" and deal with.
But this emotional confusion is often a tactic, not a coincidence. Narcissistic leaders thrive in chaos and instability, as it gives them control. The more disconnected you are from your emotional compass, the easier it is for them to manipulate and dominate.
The Emotions Wheel: A Tool for Reconnection
Therapists often use the Emotions Wheel to help clients move beyond surface-level responses like “I’m fine” or “I’m just stressed,” guiding them to specific emotions that unlock deeper insight. By identifying core feelings—whether it’s shame, fear, guilt, or anger—people begin to understand their emotional patterns and develop more effective, emotionally intelligent responses.
In the context of workplace trauma or narcissistic abuse at work, this tool becomes even more powerful. Naming what you feel is often the first step in breaking through gaslighting in the workplace, rebuilding trust in your perception, and moving toward emotional clarity at work.
Ask yourself:
Are you feeling dismissed rather than just “off”?
Holding shame when you say you feel “low”?
Actually afraid, not just “anxious”?
Once you can identify the emotion, you can begin to understand what triggered it and how to respond effectively. That’s how you begin healing and setting boundaries.
For example, you might start with a vague sense of feeling ‘bad’, but as you move through the wheel, you realise it’s not sadness, it’s humiliation after being undermined in a team meeting. That clarity helps you validate your experience instead of brushing it aside.
Rebuilding from the Inside Out
In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Daksha Hirani explains how narcissistic abuse at work impacts your mental health, chipping away at your confidence, clarity, and ability to self-trust. Tools like the Emotions Wheel offer a way to reconnect with your inner compass.
If you’ve experienced gaslighting in the workplace, this tool can be a lifeline. Naming what you feel, rather than defaulting to “fine” or “just tired”, is a powerful act of emotional intelligence. It disrupts toxic patterns, sharpens your awareness, and helps you set clearer boundaries.
Being in tune with your emotions doesn’t make you too sensitive, it makes you strong. In toxic environments, self-awareness is your first line of defence.
Resources & Further Support
Listen to all episodes: otherbox.co/podcast
Learn more about narcissism, burnout, and protective tools in our Diversity Dictionary course: otherbox.co/education
Subscribe, share, and rate the podcast on Spotify, Acast or wherever you listen.
Whether you’re just starting to question a toxic dynamic or deep into your healing, we hope this podcast helps you name it, understand it, and start to heal from it. Because work should work for you.
———
Narcissism At Work podcast is out now and is available wherever you listen to your podcasts. Check out our resources page here for support. Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with Other Box.
