Cue default answer “I’m fine” or “I’m OK”.

True? We all do it. We’ve been conditioned to not share our truth of how we feel – for fear of judgement, burdening others or not being worthy of support – but this lack of honesty means a lack of connection to ourselves and asking ourselves that valuable question of “how do I feel?”.

So ask yourself right now… “how do I feel?” 

Can you identify your emotions? How you’re feeling right now?

The sooner we can become aware of the exact emotions we are feeling, the easier it becomes to manage those emotions and managing our emotions means we can flourish, perform at our best and protect our mental health.

Now don’t worry if you can’t identify your emotions – that’s not unusual – and sometimes we just don’t have the language to verbalise what we feel.

But here’s a little method to try. Take a look at this wheel of emotions and match a word to how you feel.

Next, take a moment to consider what’s going on for you when you identified this emotion. Is what you’re doing in the moment impacting your feelings in the moment? It’s always good to check in with yourself and be aware of what you’re feeling and then you can take action in your life as appropriate.

… and if you’re asking someone else how they are and they reply with “fine” or “OK” – ask them twice… it shows you have an intention to listen, care and are a safe person for them to share with.