Talking about Emotional Wellbeing

Speaking out

There is nothing wrong with talking about your emotions and feelings.  Sometimes we do it blatantly and sometimes we do it subtly.  It just depends on the situation, who you are with and where your are 'at' at the time.

Friends and close colleagues will pick up the differences in what you are saying or how you are phrasing things or maybe they will pick up on what you're not saying. They will realise that these are part of you but not the whole of you and at the time one of them may be more dominant than the next. 

I remember when one of my friends was madly in love and all she could talk about was how she was feeling about her Beau.  I listened and made the right noises at the right time because this was important to her.  I also listened  when they broke up and my friend thought her world would end. Just being there for her was so important.

You may think that this is pretty normal for friends but so many people don't feel they can talk about stress, depression, anxiousness etc.    Why not?    There is no difference really, they are all a part of you and make up who you are.  

Speaking to those that don't know you so well may be easier for some. This may allow you to talk more freely or blatantly about how your feeling or it may just be somewhere to talk.  If this is the case - find that person either at work or in the community. Getting it out there is important.

Rob Stephens  Inside-out.org

We had the pleasure of meeting Rob Stephenson at a recent talk we gave to parents at Groombridge St Thomas Primary School about how to manage your emotions rather than being controlled by them.  Rob introduced the subject of talking about emotional wellbeing giving a very honest recount of his own experience of living with bipolar and how his managed his condition and how he copes today. 

Based on Rob's own experience he has set up a social enterprise company Inside-out.org  with a mission of ending the stigma of mental ill-health in the workplace by creating a ripple effect of executives who are willing to speak out about their own experiences.  

Rob is a great advocate of talking about emotions with his own children and has read them the Ollie and his Super Powers books. His son is now teaching him a thing or two......

Please read the the below post by Rob on Linkedin to find out why he is wearing his wife's shoes.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6499769514484387840