Mental and Emotional Health Ch. 3 Glencoe Health Book Mrs. Scott’s Class

Mental/Emotional Health Definition: The ability to accept yourself and others, adapt to and manage emotions, and deal with the challenges and demands of life.

Characteristics of Good Mental Health Sense of Belonging Sense of Purpose Positive Outlook Self Sufficiency Healthy Self-Esteem Everyone has to deal with stressful situations. People who have a healthy mental health would handle stress in positive ways, these people are resilient. That means they have the ability to adapt to change and recover from a disappointment, loss, and/or crisis.

Love and Compassion: Everyone needs to give love and be loved. Babies who are denied emotional attention can be stunted mentally, fail to thrive (develop properly), and have behavioral/emotional problems later on. Compassion: When you understand the needs of others and can express how you feel.

The Pyramid of Needs Basic Needs: Thirst, Hunger, Sleep, Shelter Level 1PHYSICAL Need to feel safeLevel 2SAFETY Need to love, be loved, belong Level 3 BELONGING Need to achieve, be recognized Level 4 FEELING RECOGNIZED Self Actualization Level 5 REACHING POTENTIAL Developed by Abraham Maslow

Meeting Your Needs The way that people choose to meet their needs affects their mental/emotional health. Sometimes people choose to partake in risky behaviors such as participation in gangs, sexual activities in order to gain acceptance or to feel loved. Which level is this?? As you know these behaviors can affect the rest of your life (jail, injury, death, teenage pregnancy, being a single parent, STD’s) Remember, YOU choose your behavior

Your Personality Complex set of characteristics that makes you unique. –Plays an important factor in how you choose to meet your needs. –Includes: Individual’s emotional makeup, attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors. Personality is gained through heredity and environment (life experiences/modeling). One part of your personality that you have the most control over is your behavior.

Personal Identity Your sense of yourself as a unique individual. Includes your: Interests Likes and dislikes Talents and abilities Values and Beliefs Goals

Character Qualities that describe how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. A person with good character demonstrates responsibility, honesty and respect. Your character says A LOT about you!

Traits of good character: Trustworthiness Respect Responsibility Fairness Caring Citizenship

Developmental Assets Building blocks of development that help young people grow up as healthy, caring, and responsible individuals. Support (family, relationships with other adults, parents involved in schooling) Empowerment (being valued at home, school, community) Boundaries/Expectations (having rules and expectations, positive adult role models)

Developmental Assets Cont. Constructive Use of Time (sports, youth activities, time at home) Commitment to Learning (being motivated to achieve, involved in school, doing homework, reading) Positive Values (compassion, honesty, responsibility) Social Competencies (having peaceful conflict resolution skills, knowledge and tolerance of others who are different from you, decision making skills, communication skills-formal and casual register) Positive Identity (positive self esteem, sense of purpose)

How to have a Healthy Identity Recognize your own strengths and weaknesses Demonstrate positive values Develop a purpose in your life (set goals) Form meaningful relationships Contribute to the community Avoid unhealthful risk behaviors

Self Esteem Feeling good about yourself creates a healthy identity. Constructive Criticism- nonhostile comments that point out problems and encourage improvement. Putting someone down, especially someone who has a low self esteem, can have an impact (even if you are kidding), watch what you say.

Emotions Signals that tell your mind and body how to react. These changes can be brought on by hormones (chemicals secreted by glands that regulate body cells).

Managing Emotions Sometimes emotions can be difficult to deal with, but they do need to be dealt with. Tips/Coping Mechanisms: –Talk it out with a trusted family member or friend (sometimes hearing another opinion can help). –Writing in a journal –Take deep breaths, try to relax –Seeing a counselor –Practicing your religious beliefs.

Defense Mechanisms Not wanting to deal with the negative effects of dealing with emotions can lead to a person using defense mechanisms instead. Repression (Involuntary) Suppression (Voluntary) Rationalization (Excuses) Regression (Child-like behavior) Denial Compensation (Making up for weaknesses through gift giving) Projection (Blaming) Idealization (Seeing someone else as perfect, or more worthy than everyone else).

Works Cited Glencoe Health Book Chapter 3