Emotions are something I often find myself talking about in my articles — and something I am endlessly intrigued about. As humans, we experience a wide range of emotions, and perhaps that is the very thing that makes us human. Personally, I like to pause and reflect on why I feel certain emotions. That curiosity has led me to take a step further — I began assigning colors to the emotions I experience. In this article, I want to explore what my inner world would look like if my emotions were a color palette.

The Colors I Used to Add:

Sweet pink: This was how I would describe my emotions and my thought process when I was younger. I had the people-pleasing tendencies — I wanted to be someone I wasn’t, simply because I wanted to be loved. It was a naive and innocent phase in my life. Over time I realized sweet pink wasn’t truly my color.

Neon yellow: There was a time when I carried bright, almost childlike confidence. I found joy in the simplest things. I laughed loudly, got overly excited and allowed myself to shine — until I was told to tone it down. Neon after all was too bright, too attention grabbing, and somewhere along the way I was made to feel it was too much.

Cerulean: There were also phases of deep exhaustion. When I cried out of frustration, anger or unfairness of situations, I didn’t fully let myself feel it. I held parts of it back.

I wouldn’t say these colors are completely gone from my palette. They aren’t erased, just softened. Perhaps they remain as subtle strokes to remind me who I once was.

The Colors in My Palette Now:

Burgundy: This is the color I consciously choose to add. Burgundy feels like grounded confidence — vibrant, yet not loud. It carries calm strength. It tells me that it’s okay if things are uncertain; that I can still trust myself. It represents faith without need to control every outcome.

Pink: Pink is so much of me now. My witty side. The part of me that surprises itself and smiles at its own thoughts. Pride? I believe so. It is the grace I give myself to be the intelligent person I am. It’s allowing myself to have long conversations about things I love — without placing an expiry date on my excitement. Perhaps it’s my favorite color. It brightens the entire palette.

Purple: I am a deeply curious person. Some days I feel overwhelmed by how much I want to know. Time almost feels unfair — as if it cannot hold all that I want to explore. Does it spike my anxiety? Probably. But it also stretches my imagination in the most beautiful ways. Whether through books, or videos, that know-it-all purple in me demands attention from time to time — and I’ve learned to give it space.

Grey: Grey is the part of me that needs honesty and grace. It’s when I let myself release the pent-up anger, the regrets of what could’ve been, and the sorrow of things that can’t be changed and the bittersweet acceptance in it — a quiet understanding that everything becomes a lesson. Grey isn’t a color you use once and discard, so I allow it to exist. That rawness in grey is beautiful, real, and deeply necessary.

Orange: Orange is hope. It’s the belief that things can change. It carries the warmth of imagining how beautifully everything can turn out — and that thought alone pushes me forward. Satisfaction? Yes. But more than that, it’s faith in myself and goodness that life can offer. On days when something unexpectedly wonderful happens, I know I’m living in orange.

Black: Black is my color. I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. It is the quiet power of loving whatever is happening within me — without over-explaining, without second-guessing. It is the color I use every season. It says simply and boldly: I am me. Unapologetically.

The truth is these are the colors I use to paint my life right now. Maybe some would fade, maybe new ones would be added. I am not sure. But at this moment it makes a beautiful palette. There are no right colors. No strict rules. Maybe that’s why the painting is unique — why it feels authentically mine. Just so you know, I used every one of these colors in my palette to paint this article. I hope you like it.