Sometimes I say I'm feeling down, or flat, or anxious, or depressed, or whatever. But then, I stop and ask myself: Am I feeling that? Where am I feeling that? What am I feeling? How do I know I'm feeling that? At most, there is a physical sensation somewhere. Often, not even that.
So, am I feeling those things, really? Or am I simply mentally articulating the idea that I feel those things, and then, in that moment, feeling the feeling associated with the thought? Emotions are like static electrical charges. One goes to touch a door handle, there is an electrical discharge, and then it is over.
It appears to be the case that what is going on is thought, which is creating concomitant feeling; the thought is not describing the feeling; it is creating it.