Sadness. Stress. Fear. These emotions feel like they are swallowing us whole. When we feel these emotions, it is hard to see anything other than the feeling, especially when in prison. Every emotion has a message behind it. Sadness tells us that we are missing something, or that we need time. Stress tells us that there is something we need to do, and that we need to act. Fear tells us that we are in danger. When we feel these emotions in a healthy way, it is because they are matched to the situation. If you’re under attack, you should feel afraid. If someone hurts you, you should feel sad. If you’ve got a court date coming up, stress is normal.

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For some of us, our emotions start to misfire, and they can give us messages that don’t match the situation we are in. This can often happen when we have lived through trauma, abuse and instability.

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Sometimes, the emotions are so strong that they make us feel like they will never end, and this becomes so unbearable that we will do anything to make the feeling go away. This is when mental health problems can start to happen. If you are constantly feeling like you’re on edge, unsafe, afraid, if you feel sad and helpless all the time, or if you feel like there is no hope for your future, you might be experiencing this.

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The best way to help yourself is to ask for help from a health professional (like a psychologist, counsellor, social worker or nurse). Unfortunately, this is not always an option. Here are some things that you can do to help yourself when you feel like you are not coping with your emotions.

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1. Express how you are feeling – this can be in words, lyrics, drawings or through conversations.
2. Practice relaxation and grounding skills:
   1. Take deep breaths, count each breath in and out until you reach 10, then do it again.
   2. Look around you and list five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.
   3. Count the number of things you can see that fit into a category (e.g., number of blue things, number of lights).
3. Practice distraction skills – playing games, sport/exercise, reading, music, conversation, look at photos or speak to family/friends.