1. Mental and Emotional Health
Chapter 5
Mental and Emotional Health
Lesson 2
Understanding Your Emotions

2. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Building Vocabulary
emotions
Feelings such as love, joy, or fear
mood swings
Frequent changes in emotional state
anxiety
An overwhelming feeling of dread, much like fear
Needs that affect a person’s feelings and sense of well-being
emotional needs
Lesson Home

3. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
What are Emotions?
It is normal to experience many different emotions, sometimes in just a short period of time. During your teen years, mood swings are common.
New Vocabulary
emotions Feelings such as love, joy, or fear
New Vocabulary
mood swings Frequent changes in emotional state
Lesson Home

4. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Dealing with Anxiety
Mild anxiety can be useful because it gives you extra energy. However, too much anxiety can be harmful.
New Vocabulary
Anxiety is normal before a big event, such as a performance.
Ask students to describe a school-related event that has caused them to feel anxious. How did they deal with those feelings?
anxiety An overwhelming feeling of dread, much like fear
Lesson Home

5. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Dealing with Fear
Fear can be a useful when it helps us to sense and escape from danger. Sometimes, however, fear becomes a problem when it keeps you from reaching your goals.
Like anxiety, fear can be easier to handle if you talk about it. Support from friends and family may help you learn to face your fears. As you grow more used to situations, they can gradually come to seem less scary.
Lesson Home

6. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Dealing with Anger
Anger is not a bad emotion that should be hidden from others. You just need to express it in positive ways that do not hurt others.
Lesson Home

7. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Defense Mechanisms
Defense mechanisms are strategies that people use to cope with strong emotions.
Lesson Home

8. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Your Emotional Needs
All people share several main emotional needs. They feel a need to:
love and be loved by others.
belong.
make a difference in the world.
do something that matters to them and to be valued for their achievements.
New Vocabulary
emotional needs Needs that affect a person’s feelings and sense of well-being
Lesson Home

9. Understanding Your Emotions
LESSON 2
Understanding Your Emotions
BIG IDEA
Learning to deal with emotions in healthy ways is important during your teen years.
Meeting Emotional Needs in Healthy Ways
You have the power to choose healthy ways of meeting your emotional needs. For example, you could
meet your need for love by spending time with your family and friends.
meet your need to belong by joining a group or a club.
help out in your community can be a great way to help others.
Lesson Home