Achieving Mental and Emotional Health

1. Achieving Mental and Emotional Health Chapter 3

2. Discussion What is your definition of mental and emotional health? What are some characteristics of a person who demonstrates good mental and emotional health? How does your mental and emotional health affect your overall health?

3. Mental/Emotional Health • The ability to accept yourself and others, express and manage emotions, and deal with the demands and challenges in life. • Mentally healthy people tend to be happy, confident, comfortable with themselves and others, and can cope with a variety of feelings and situations • If you are worried about something how might that affect your mental and overall health?

4. Effects of Poor Mental Health • Might eat an unhealthy diet. • Might not get enough sleep. • Stop exercising. • Become irritable. • Strained relationships with friends and family. • Etc.

5. Characteristics of Good Mental and Emotional Health • Sense of Belonging: Feeling close to family members, friends, teachers, etc. • Sense of Purpose: Recognizing your values and setting personal goals. • Positive Outlook: Seeing the positive in life (Glass is half full). • Self-Sufficiency: Confidence to make responsible decisions promotes independence and confidence. • Healthy Self-Esteem: Ability to accept and recover from difficulties and failures.

6. Discussion • How is mental and emotional health affected by relationships with their peers? • Which of the 5 characteristics is affected most by our peers, (Ex. I think peers are most likely affect a teen’s sense of belonging because…..)

7. Self-Esteem • Self Esteem: How much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself. • What are some ways self-esteem is developed? • Benefits of healthy self-esteem are feeling confident, proud of yourself and your abilities, skills, and accomplishments. Not afraid to try new things or meet new people. • Your self esteem will develop and change over time as you mature and experience new life situations.

8. Ways to Improve Self-Esteem • Choose friends who value and respect you • Focus on the positive aspects about yourself • Work towards accomplishing goals • Consider mistakes learning opportunities • Try new activities to discover your talents • Exercise regularly to feel more energized • Volunteer your time to help someone

9. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs • Level 1, Physical: Basic needs of hunger, thirst, sleep, and shelter. • Level 2, Safety: Need to be secure from danger • Level 3, Belonging: Need to love and be loved, need to belong. • Level 4, Feeling recognized: Need to achieve and be recognized • Level 5, Reaching Potential: Need for self-actualization

10. Hierarchy of Needs • Self-Actualization: To strive to be the best you can be. • Maslow shows that our earliest motivations are to satisfy our physical needs. Once those needs are met we look to move up to the next level until we reach our fullest potential which is self-actualization. • Think of a time when you were to hungry, thirsty, or tired to pay attention in class. Explain how this can be described using the Maslow hierarchy of needs?

11. Hierarchy of Needs • If someone has not met his or her physical needs, which are the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy, they cannot focus on achieving in school.

12. Developing Identity and Character • How would you describe Personal Identity? • Your personal identity describes who you are • List 5 characteristics that describe who you are as a person. • Personal Identity: Your sense of yourself as a unique individual.

13. Identity Development • Your likes versus dislikes • Family and Friends influence • Values and Beliefs • As you mature and you meet more people you will start to develop your own opinions. • Why do some teens struggle to find their own identity?

14. Definitions • Role Model: Someone whose success or behavior serves as an example for you. • Personality: a complex set of characteristics that make you unique. • Character: the distinctive qualities that describe how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. • Integrity: Your actions and beliefs, a firm observation of core ethical values.

15. Traits of Good Character • Trustworthiness: Honest, loyal, and reliable. You do what you say you’ll do. • Respect: You are considerate of others and accept their differences. • Responsibility: Using self control, you think before you act and consider the consequences. • Fairness: You play by the rules, take turns, and share. • Caring: A person who is kind and compassionate • Citizenship: You advocate for a safe and healthy environment at school and your community.

16. Working Towards a Positive Identity • Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest and realistic with yourself. • Demonstrate positive values. • Develop a purpose in Life: Set goals and work to achieve them. It provides a framework to build a healthy identity. • Form meaningful relationships (family, friends, etc.)

17. Working Towards a Positive Identity • Constructive Criticism: Non-hostile comments that point out a problem and encourage improvement. Be able to accept constructive criticism. • Avoid unhealthy high risk behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, reckless driving, or joining a gang. • Contribute to the community by giving back or volunteering. It gives you a sense of good feeling and accomplishment. • How are you working to develop a positive self identity?

18. Expressing Emotions in Healthful Ways • What are some of the emotions a teenager might feel? • How do you deal with different emotions, how do you react to certain situations?

19. Definitions • Emotions: signals that tell your mind and body how to react. • Hormones: Chemicals produced by your glands that regulate the activities of different body cells. • Hostility: the intentional use of unfriendly or offensive behavior • Empathy: the ability to imagine and understand how someone else feels. • Defense Mechanisms: Mental process that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations.

20. Different Emotions • Happiness: Being satisfied and feeling positive. • Sadness: Feeling sad is normal, healthy reaction to difficult life events. • Love: Strong affection, deep concern, and respect. • Fear: When you are startled by someone or something, increases you alertness. • Guilt: Shame and regret that occurs when you act against your values. • Anger: A normal reaction to being emotionally hurt or physically harmed.

21. Managing Your Emotions • What are some specific ways you mange your emotions? • Emotions are not negative or positive, how you react to the emotion can make them positive or negative. This is why it is important to understand your emotions and learn a way that works for you to deal with your emotions. • Every person is different (identity) and they will deal with emotions different from other people.

22. Responding to Difficult Emotions • Some techniques used to reduce the intensity of your emotions include • Taking deep breathes • Relaxing your muscles • Getting away from the situation • Analyze your emotion • Writing in a journal • Talking with someone • How do you react to difficult situations, are there ways you could better overall health in difficult situations?

23. Responding to Difficult Emotions and the Defense Mechanisms Used • Repression: Involuntarily pushing unpleasant feelings out of one’s mind. • Regression: Rather than dealing with problems in mature manner a person reverts to negative behaviors. • Denial: Unconscious lack of recognition of something that is obvious to others. • Projection: Attributing your own feelings or faults to another person or group.

24. Responding to Difficult Emotions and Defense Mechanisms Used • Suppression: Consciously and intentionally pushing unpleasant feelings out of one’s mind. • Rationalization: Making excuses to explain a situation or behavior, rather than taking responsibility for it. • Compensation: Making up for weaknesses and mistakes through gift giving, hard work, or extreme efforts. • Can you think of examples or situations where you have used one of these Defense Mechanisms?

25. Handling Fear • Recognize what you are afraid of and what is causing that fear. • Talking to someone • Being prepared • Do some research

26. Managing Anger • Anger can lead to emotional harm • One of the most difficult emotions to handle. • What is causing the anger? • Do something relaxing. • Channel your energy in different direction. • Talk with someone you trust.