Ms. Jiang’s 12 th Grade Health

What is Mental Health? Emotional, social, and psychological well-being It affects how we think, feel, and act Helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices Important at all stages of life

Social Health The ability to form satisfying interpersonal relationships with others It involves Good communication skills Having meaningful relationships Respecting yourself and others Creating a support system Relates to your ability to adapt comfortably to different social situations and act appropriately in a variety of settings Classroom, work, social settings with friends, college

Social Health Not having good social health can impact your psychological wellness: Feeling lonely or depressed And biological effects: Increased susceptibility to illness Higher cholesterol levels Elevated levels of high blood pressure

Social Health Having a strong and positive social wellness can improve psychological effects: Being in a good mood Enhanced self-esteem Handles stress better And biological effects: Fewer colds Lower blood pressure

Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura introduced a learning theory based on the idea that people learn by observing others These learned behaviors can be central to one’s personality Bobo Doll Experiment Study done to investigate whether social behaviors can be acquired by observation and imitation Social Cognitive Theory

Self-Esteem Self-esteem is self-regard, your perception of your worth is the essence of self-esteem Can be altered by social settings, friendships, and relationships Six Ingredients of Self-Esteem (Betty Young, PhD) 1. A Sense of Physical Safety 2. A Sense of Emotional Security 3. A Sense of Identity 4. A Sense of Belonging 5. A Sense of Competence 6. A Sense of Purpose

Social Health Problems Social anxiety Low self-esteem, fear of rejection Social Anxiety Fear of being judged and evaluated negatively, feelings of inferiority Third largest psychological disorder in the country Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) Autism Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Improving Social Health Developing strong communication skills Non-verbal communication Conversation skills Assertiveness Build good relationships with other people Be open to new opportunities Be kind

Emotional Health Ability to accept yourself and others, express and manage emotions, and deal with the demands and challenges you meet in your life Emotional health helps you function effectively throughout every part of your day!

Importance of Emotional Health People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their emotions and behaviors Ability to handle life’s challenges, build strong relationships, and recover from setbacks Makes a person generally happy and able to enjoy life Comfortable with themselves and other people (social health) Confident

Characteristics of Strong Emotional Health

Positive Outlook: Seeing the bright side of life reduces stress and increases your chances of success Self-sufficiency Having the confidence to make responsible decisions promotes your sense of independence and self- assurance Healthy self-esteem Having healthy self-esteem helps you accept and recover from difficulties and failures

Stress and Emotional Health Emotionally healthy people handle stress in a positive way Stress – anything that causes a person to react and is your body’s way to responding to any kind of demand Reaction depends on each individual Two things 1. Stressor – situations that trigger physical and emotional reactions 2. Reactions themselves – reactions themselves

Emotional Responses to Stressors Responses Vary from person to person Perception and reactions vary greatly Not all stress is negative Effective responses to stress include: Talking, laughing, exercise, and improved time management Ineffective responses to stress include: Overeating, hostility, procrastination, frustration

The General Adaptation Syndrome Eustress Brought on by a pleasant stressor Distress Brought on by an unpleasant stressor Response pattern to all stressors (Sympathetic Nervous System) Alarm (fight or flight reaction) Resistance Exhaustion Allostatic Load long-term wear and tear of the stress response

Emotional Problems Depression – persistent bad mood and lack of interest in pursing daily life, bouts of lethargy Anxiety – intermittent and repeated attacks of intense fear of something bad happening Bipolar disorder – periodic cycling of emotional states between manic and depressive phases Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – inability to remain focused on task, impulsive behavior, and excessive activity or an inability to sit still Schizophrenia – lack of ability to distinguish reality, can cause paranoia and belief in elaborate conspiracies

Signs of Emotional Health Problems Mental health problems can cause a wide variety of emotional symptoms and can include: Exaggerated sense of self-worth Changes in mood Erratic thinking Chronic Anxiety Impulsive actions Lack of socializing Lack of empathy Lack of control

Improving Emotional Health Physical activity is #1 in improving emotional health and well-being Taking care of your body because the mind and body are linked Improving physical health will give you a greater mental and emotional well-being Releases endorphins that energize us and lift our moods Sleep!! It is important to get enough rest to take care of our body for it to function well Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep each night

Improving Emotional Health Good nutrition Eating nutritiously to fuel your body will help improve emotional health Get a dose of sunlight everyday Sunlight lifts your mood so aim to get at least minutes of sun per day Avoiding alcohol and avoid cigarettes and other drugs These stimulants may unnaturally make you feel good in the short-term, but have long-term negative consequences for mood and emotional health

Any questions, comments or concerns?

Resources content/uploads/2012/02/Balloon-Exercise.pdf