10 Powerful Lessons & Quotes from Big Feelings by Liz Fosslien to Boost Emotional Health
Published: 16 Mar 2025
Liz Fosslien is an author, illustrator, and expert in emotions at work. Her book Big Feelings explores how to manage intense emotions that overwhelm us, like uncertainty, comparison, and burnout. It bridges the gap between emotional awareness and practical solutions, showing how people can navigate complex feelings with understanding and grace.
Fosslien combines psychology, personal stories, and research to highlight how acknowledging our emotions can improve our personal and professional lives.
Big Feelings by Liz Fosslien offers a clear guide to embracing and working through difficult emotions rather than avoiding them. Fosslien provides both theoretical insights and practical strategies to help readers face their feelings with compassion and curiosity.
Discover the essence of Big Feelings through these valuable ten lessons to help you better understand yourself and others.
10 Key Lessons from Big Feelings by Liz Fosslien
Here are the key lessons from the book of Liz Fosslien which guide us to how to stay okay when things are not okay around you:
1. Embrace Emotional Awareness
Pay attention to how you feel. Noticing your emotions helps you handle tough situations and talk to others more clearly. For example, if you’re angry after a hard day at work, recognizing that anger can stop you from snapping at loved ones.
✅ Practical Tip: Take one minute each morning to ask yourself, “How am I feeling today?” Write down your answer in a notebook.
2. Normalize Emotional Expression
Feeling a lot of emotions is normal—and healthy! Don’t push your feelings away or judge yourself for having them. Instead, use them as clues to understand what you need. Feeling sad? Maybe you need rest or Support.
✅ Practical Tip: When you feel overwhelmed, pause and name your emotion: “I feel nervous” or “I feel excited.” Naming your feelings can reduce their intensity.
3. Develop Emotional Intelligence
Learn to understand your own feelings and those of others. This helps you build strong friendships and communicate better. For instance, if your friend seems upset, asking, “How are you feeling?” can show you care.
✅ Practical Tip: Practice active listening today—when someone speaks, focus fully on their words without interrupting or planning your reply.
4. Practice Self-Compassion
Be kind to yourself, especially when things go wrong. Talk to yourself like you would to a friend. If you mess up at work, instead of thinking, “I’m terrible,” try, “Everyone makes mistakes. I’ll do better next time.”
✅ Practical Tip: Write down three things you can say to yourself when you’re having a hard day. Keep them handy!
5. Set Boundaries
Protect your mental health by setting limits. Saying “no” is okay! If you’re too tired to go out, staying in and rest is fine. Boundaries help you take care of yourself.
✅ Practical Tip: Practice saying, “I can’t do that right now, but thank you for thinking of me.” This makes saying no easier and more respectful.
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Don’t miss out on this insightful guide that helps you manage your feelings in times of challenge
6. Seek Support
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to family, friends, or a therapist when you’re struggling. Sharing your feelings can bring comfort. Imagine how you’d listen to a friend—your loved ones want to do the same for you!
✅ Practical Tip: Text or call a trusted friend today and share how you’re feeling—even a simple check-in can lift your mood.
7. Cultivate Resilience
Turn tough times into learning moments. Ask, “What can I learn from this when things get hard?” Practicing mindfulness or deep breathing can help you bounce back faster.
✅ Practical Tip: When facing a challenge, write down one positive thing that could come from the experience.
8. Practice Vulnerability
Opening up about your feelings is a strength. Sharing how you truly feel can deepen friendships and build trust. Try saying, “I’ve been feeling stressed lately,” and see how people respond with Support.
✅ Practical Tip: Share one honest feeling with someone you trust today. Start small—”I felt really happy when you called.”
9. Communicate Effectively
Speak about your feelings clearly and kindly. Use “I” statements like, “I feel upset when plans change at the last minute.” This helps others understand you without feeling blamed.
✅ Practical Tip: Before your next conversation, think of one “I feel…” statement you can use to express yourself.
10. Celebrate Emotional Diversity
Everyone feels differently, and that’s okay! Appreciate how varied emotions make us human. Create spaces where people feel safe to express themselves—just like you’d want for yourself.
✅ Practical Tip: The next time someone shares their feelings, say, “Thank you for sharing with me.” It encourages openness and trust.
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Order Paperback Edition Today👉👉 Are you ready to navigate your emotions with confidence? Get the printed version of this insightful book and start your journey toward emotional clarity and self-compassion today!
Big Feelings Quotes by Liz Fosslien
Here are some quotes from the Big Feelings that guide you How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay by Liz Fosslien.
“When we keep everything we’re feeling bottled up, we suffer in silence—and miss out on the chance to connect with others and to let them support us.”
“While big feelings are uncomfortable—at times they can even feel unbearable—they aren’t inherently positive or negative. When we take the time to understand them, big feelings like anger and regret can serve us. Anger can fuel us to advocate for what matters. And regret can provide us with insight into how to craft a more meaningful”
“The key to success is practice, which involves errors, failure, and asking questions. It’s far better to share an early draft and get feedback”
“Your plans and answers don’t need to be highly detailed, so avoid getting swept up in analysis paralysis. The goal is just to build your confidence in the idea that you would be able to handle the situation.”
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Buy Now on Amazon“Psychologists who study stress have identified three primary factors that make us feel awful: a lack of control, unpredictability, and the perception that things are getting worse. In other words: uncertainty.”
“Studies of day-to-day conversations show that people talk about regret more than any other emotion except love, and that regret is the uncomfortable emotion we feel most often.”
“You can’t control your emotions, but you can control how you react to them.” — Big Feelings by Liz Fosslien
“While perfectionism can show up in many small, private ways, it tends to present along similar lines of all-or-nothing thinking:”
“While big feelings are uncomfortable—at times they can even feel unbearable—they aren’t inherently positive or negative. When we take the time to understand them, big feelings like anger and regret can serve us.”
“It’s also impossible to talk about big feelings without acknowledging that structural forces matter. A lot.”
“A family friend also reminded her that life has one deadline: when you die. Every other marker or timeline is something you set up for yourself.”
“If we know what the bad thing is, we can plan for it. But when we don’t know what’s going to happen, we spiral.”
“Research shows that we tend to compare our weaknesses with other people’s strengths. When you compare more comprehensively, things start to feel more attainable.”
“Never compare your inside with someone else’s outside. Hugh MacLeod”
“We love writer Jenna Wortham’s advice: “Remember that other people’s urgency is not your emergency.”
“Thomas S. Greenspon, author of Moving Past Perfect, told us. “Across jobs, the most successful people are less likely to be perfectionists. That’s because the anxiety about making mistakes gets in your way.” ― Liz Fosslien, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay
Conclusion
As we conclude our journey with the life lessons from Liz Fosslien’s famous book Big Feelings, it’s clear that understanding and embracing our emotions can profoundly transform our lives. Fosslien’s wisdom reminds us that it’s okay to feel big emotions and that recognizing them is the first step to managing them effectively.
Big Feelings is a must-read book if you’re ready to face your feelings, build emotional resilience, and improve your personal and professional life.
Are you ready to navigate your emotions with confidence? Get the printed version of this insightful book and start your journey toward emotional clarity and self-compassion today!
- Be Respectful
- Stay Relevant
- Stay Positive
- True Feedback
- Encourage Discussion
- Avoid Spamming
- No Fake News
- Don't Copy-Paste
- No Personal Attacks
- Be Respectful
- Stay Relevant
- Stay Positive
- True Feedback
- Encourage Discussion
- Avoid Spamming
- No Fake News
- Don't Copy-Paste
- No Personal Attacks
