Confusing Thoughts and Feelings

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My wife and I were having a discussion earlier today about thoughts and feelings. She started listing things like, annoying, frustrating, lonely. I said those were thoughts. She said, no they were feelings.

And, the other night, I told her, “I feel x”. And, she said, that was a thought, not a feeling.

Sometimes, I wonder if I don’t really understand feelings (or know how to process them), until they overwhelm me. And, then, I explode.

Interestingly, when I was younger, I used to try to suppress emotions. Not certain why. Possibly as a defense mechanism.

Do others have problems distinguishing between thoughts and feelings? Did anyone else try to suppress emotions when they were young? Finally, is any of this somehow tied into the claim that we lack empathy?

One of the biggest things that has held me back in my life is that I cannot express my emotions.

Well, given that you can feel thoughts I'd say that the two are interchangeable.