This week, to attain, maintain or regain your sense of wellbeing… …Try practicing small moments of expression by naming what you are feeling in the moment out loud to the people around you. Using small moments of expression helps other people understand and be supportive at times of stress and distress. You can practice expression by having a conversation, but expression can also be in our simple, throw-away comments. Not all expression needs to be in-depth and serious, even if what we are communicating is serious. Small moments of expression can be really useful if we are in the habit of keeping everything to ourselves. Start small by replying honestly when someone asks how your day is or naming the everyday moments of stress and distress out loud to the people around you. Of course we need to choose suitable times and adjust to the situation we are in but it’ s usually possible to acknowledge in some way when stress is present for you. For example, saying ‘ Man, this is full on!‘ Or ‘ this is stressful!’ Or letting someone know ‘ I’ ve been better’ when they ask how you are. Sometimes, just saying it out loud and having it heard is all we need. Who knows, someone might relate, a moment of stress could become a moment of connection. When we have to hide our experiences they tend to intensify inside us. So it is important to be able to name what we are feeling sometimes. You might use small moments of expression with a friend, family member, teacher, colleague, boss, class-mate, online friend, the person in the supermarket, whoever is present at the time. If no one else is around, try naming it privately to yourself or call someone or get in touch with a helpline.

Once you are comfortable with your small moments of expression, add ‘ Name It in the Moment’ to your Personal Coping Kete for use during times of stress and distress. Once you have practiced small moments of expression, you will be better able to give yourself the chance to be supported when you are distressed.