MENTAL Health & Personal Resiliency: ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN PERSONALIZED FITNESS GOALS!
Minds On… What words come to mind when you think of Mental Health? What words come to mind when you think of Mental Illness? What is the connection between Physical Health & Mental Health? Ask the students to quickly shout out answers to the following questions. Write out their answers (or have a volunteer write them) on the board and leave them up for future reference.
Mental Health What is Mental Health? Mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness. It is sense of emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being that enables us to meet the opportunities and challenges of life with a sense of confidence and hope. As students watch the Shared Language video (next slide) have them note: Discussion/Reflection Questions: What is mental illness? What are the 4 indicators of mental health? How can a person without mental illness have poor mental health? How can a person with mental illness have good mental health? What contributes to a mentally healthy community? School?
Mental Health: A Shared Language How do we understand mental health and mental illness? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIswi_4yRaE&fea ture=youtu.be This 6 minute video by CAMH ( Canadian Association Mental Health) explains the separate but interconnected concepts of mental health and mental illness, as well as what it means to ‘promote mental health’, in ourselves and in our communities. 1 in 5 people may experience mental illness, but 5 in 5 of us (all of us) have mental health!
Discussion/Reflection Questions What is mental illness? What are the 4 indicators of mental health? How can a person without mental illness have poor mental health? How can a person with mental illness have good mental health? What contributes to a mentally healthy community? School? Key messages from Shared Languages: Just like physical health, we all have mental health – 5 in 5 of us have mental health, while 1 in 5 of us will experience a mental health difficulty or a mental illness Mental health is not just the absence of illness, it is the sense of emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being that enables us to meet the opportunities and challenges of life with a sense of confidence and hope It is as important to nurture our mental health as it is our physical health
Resilience What is Resilience? Resilience is the ability to cope with life stresses, to ‘bounce back’ from difficult & challenging life situations and to maintain a sense of emotional, spiritual, psychological and social well-being. Resilience – the ability to protect and maintain one’s mental health and emotional well-being while responding to the stresses and challenges of life.
Resilience Explained What is Resilience? https://youtu.be/cqO7YoMsccU The Science of Resilience https://youtu.be/1r8hj72bfGo Show the following 2 minute video: What is Resilience? https://youtu.be/cqO7YoMsccU This 2 minute video provides a definition of resilience and the factors that contribute to development of resilience Show the 2 minute video that immediately follows: The Science of Resilience (you can click on this link below or it should begin automatically following What is Resilience. https://youtu.be/1r8hj72bfGo This 2 minute video shows how resilience develops and is impacted by both individual characteristics and social/environmental factors. As students watch the Resilience videos have them note: Discussion Reflection Questions: What does resilience mean – can resilience exist without challenge or adversity? What factors contribute to the development of resilience (individual and environmental)? Name 3 risk factors that tip the scales towards negative outcomes for children Name 3 protective factors that tip the scales towards positive outcomes for children
Discussion/Reflection Questions What does resilience mean – can resilience exist without challenge or adversity? What factors contribute to the development of resilience (individual and environmental)? Name 3 risk factors that tip the scales towards negative outcomes for children Name 3 protective factors that tip the scales towards positive outcomes for children Key Messages: Resilience is built within our social context – not just individual characteristics: Individual temperament (genes) is the building block for resilience but more important are environmental/social factors that support the development of resilience Social/environmental factors that help build resilience (no matter what your genetic predisposition): Responsive relationships, skilled caregivers, financial security, safe communities, healthy food – you may be able to think of more! Social/environmental risk factors and protective factors can tip the scales from negative to positive outcomes
Your Personal Fitness Goals What are your personal mental fitness goals to support your own resiliency for the coming term?
Your Personal Fitness Goals Complete at least one strategy to support each of the following areas : Being aware of how I am feeling Maintaining a positive frame of mind Getting enough sleep Coping with stress (3 strategies) Reaching out for help when needed (apps, community services) Distribute handout: My Mental Health and Resilience Plan Being aware of how I am feeling: The first step in maintaining mental wellness is knowing how you are feeling – once you know and accept how you are feeling you can work with it. Maintaining a positive frame of mind Research tells us that our thoughts can determine how we are feeling Getting enough sleep Youth require 9hours of sleep per night for optimal well-being. How many hours are you getting? Coping with stress (3 strategies) Stress is part of everyday life and can strain our sense of mental wellness Reaching out for help when needed (apps, community services) Name a trusted adult you can talk to Find a community service you could ue if you were struggling with mental health concerns
Your Personal Fitness Goals Resources: Mental Health Resources for Students are now available on our LDCSB website. http://www.ldcsb.ca/Programs/mentalhealth/MHResou rces/Pages/default.aspx mindyourmind.ca is a great resource for wellness resources: Tip Sheets for Wellness on mindyourmind website https://mindyourmind.ca/wellness Direct them to the following resources to research strategies to support mental wellness and resiliency. I suggest you direct them to the link for Mental Health Resources for Students now available on our LDCSB website. This will ensure that they are aware of a reliable place to search for information at any point in the future should they need it. http://www.ldcsb.ca/Programs/mentalhealth/MHResources/Pages/default.aspx If you prefer to offer handouts, you could download and print some of the Tip Sheets for Wellness on mindyourmind website (link below) or direct students to this resource to develop their list of strategies for their own mental fitness plan. https://mindyourmind.ca/wellness You will find 20 to 30 Strategies and Tips on each page. I recommend the pages on: Quick Stress Relief #bethinkFull Stress Relief Tips How to Stay Well Rested Coping With Anxiety Time Management and Setting Priorities Starting High School
The ‘Broken Cup’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CvExk1TVM0
Resilience and the Broken Cup We must accept that life can be challenging at times. You don’t have to be perfect to be resilient.