Expressing Feelings Safely — Psychology (Grade 7)

Define and explain Expressing Feelings Safely in your own words
Use key terms such as calm-down tool accurately
Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

This lesson focuses on Expressing Feelings Safely: practise healthy ways to show big feelings, such as using words, drawing, slow breathing and asking for help.

Definition: Expressing Feelings Safely

Practise healthy ways to show big feelings, such as using words, drawing, slow breathing and asking for help.

Key ideas

You can choose your actions

You cannot always choose your feelings, but you can choose what you do with them. Shouting or hitting hurts other people, while using words, taking a pause, or asking for help keeps everyone safe. Practising this choice is a skill that gets easier over time.

Feelings are messages

Every feeling is trying to tell you something. Anger can mean something feels unfair, sadness can mean you need comfort, and nervousness can mean you want to be careful. When you listen to the message, you can decide what to do next instead of just reacting.

Key term — calm-down tool: Something you can do to feel steadier when a big feeling arrives, such as slow breathing, drawing, or asking a trusted adult for help.

Worked example: Expressing Feelings Safely

Name two calm-down tools you could use when a big feeling arrives.

Any two: slow breathing, counting to ten, drawing the feeling, squeezing a soft toy, asking a trusted adult for help.

Answer: Any two: slow breathing, counting to ten, drawing the feeling, squeezing a soft toy, asking a trusted adult for help.

Common mistakes

You should always cheer someone up straight away Jumping to fix a feeling can make someone feel unheard. Listening first and showing you understand usually helps much more.
Feelings you hide will just go away Hidden feelings usually grow bigger and pop out later. Naming a feeling out loud or drawing it helps it shrink.

Practice

True or false: it is okay to feel angry sometimes.

Think about whether anger is a message or a misbehaviour.

True. Anger is a normal feeling; what matters is expressing it safely.

Your friend is crying because she lost her toy. What could you say to show empathy?

Try naming her feeling before fixing the problem.

Something like: 'You seem really sad about losing your toy. That sounds upsetting. Would you like help looking for it?'.

Why might hiding your feelings make things worse?

Think about what happens to a feeling you never name.

Hidden feelings tend to grow and burst out later, often at the wrong moment. Naming them helps them settle.

Name three feelings and one body clue for each.

Think about what your body does when you are happy, nervous or angry.

Answers vary, but could include: happy → smiling and bouncy energy; nervous → wobbly tummy; angry → hot face and clenched fists.

Quick check

Expressing Feelings Safely — quick check

Which of these best defines "calm-down tool"?

Something you can do to feel steadier when a big feeling arrives, such as slow breathing, drawing, or asking a trusted adult for help.

What is empathy?

Noticing how someone else feels and caring about it.

Key takeaways

Expressing Feelings Safely: practise healthy ways to show big feelings, such as using words, drawing, slow breathing and asking for help.
You can choose your actions: You cannot always choose your feelings, but you can choose what you do with them.
body clue: A signal in your body that shows a feeling, like a wobbly tummy when you are nervous or hot cheeks when you are angry.
Watch out for: you should always cheer someone up straight away

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