Warm up:

What comes to mind when you

think of mental health? What
do you anticipate you will
learn about in this unit?
 Do you see yourself in a positive way?
 Are you able to handle challenges and
setbacks well?
 Being able to say yes to these questions
is one sign of mental and emotional
health.
 What are some examples of
challenges/setbacks that teenagers
might face on a daily basis?
 Mentaland Emotional health helps you
function effectively each day.
Definition – the ability to accept
yourself and others, express and
manage emotions, and deal with the
demands and challenges you meet in
your life.
- How you think, feel, and act in order to
face life’s situations…
- For example, how you handle stress.

- How you look at yourself, your life and

the people in your life…
- For example, how you relate to
others.

- How you evaluate your options and

make choices…
- For example: how you make decisions.
 Thinking
is the cognitive component of
mental health.

 It’simportant to recognize your thoughts

and to determine if they are reasonable
for the situation.
 For example, a friend invites another
friend to go to a movie. Do you think
“That’s OK. She can do that. I know
we’ll get together another time.” Or,
do you think “She’s not my friend
anymore. A real friend would always
invite only me…”
 It’simportant how you respond to your
thoughts.
 Do you let negative, damaging thoughts
continue or do you stop them? For
example, if you think you’ve been
slighted by a friend, do you go over and
over in your mind that the friend is
hurtful, disloyal, uncaring…

 Thoughts produce feelings in us.

 Feeling
is the emotional / sensory
component of mental health.

 Thoughts produce feelings.

 Thinking the same thoughts over and
over in your mind will create feelings –
negative thoughts will create more
negative feelings and positive thoughts
will create more positive feelings.

 It’simportant to recognize your feelings.

 For example, “I am angry and upset!”
It’s important to understand where
these feelings are coming from.
 Ie: your thought processes and
how you interpret what’s
happened.
It’s important how you respond to
your feelings.
 “I feel this way so it’s right to feel
this way.”
 Ask yourself questions such as: “Is
this a legitimate feeling that is
appropriate for the situation?”
Actionis the behavioral component
of mental health.

Thoughts and feelings result in

actions.
– For example, you dwell in your
mind about how your friend has
slighted you until you feel really
angry and then you take an action
as a result of your thoughts and
feelings.
Actions can be unhealthy.
– For example, you could pick up the
phone and yell at your friend and
damage the relationship.
– For example, you could go out for
a smoke or take a drink and hide
away in your room.
Actions can be healthy.
– For example, you could talk over
your thoughts and feelings with
your friend or with someone else
who could help.
 Since you were a young child, you
realized that your behavior had
consequences.
 You touched a hot stove and were
burned.
 You disobeyed a rule and were
disciplined.
 It’s important to also realize that there
are consequences to the way we think
and feel.
 It affects your relationships with others:
– Mental health problems lead to new problems
with friends, family, law enforcement or school
officials( National Mental Health Association,
1997)
 It affects how you learn:
– Your attentiveness,
– Your concentration,
– Your classroom conduct,
– Your ability to organize,
– Your ability to communicate.
 Source: SAMHSA.
http://allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/school_modules.html#mod2
 Mental health problems can lead
to other problems such as:
– Experimenting with drugs or
alcohol,
– Being sexually promiscuous,
– Being hostile and aggressive,
– Taking risks in behavior.
Why do you think it is important to
have good mental and emotional
health?
 Makes a person generally happy and able to
enjoy life.
 More confident
 Comfortable with others
 Flexible and cope with a wide variety of
feelings and situations
 Affect the other areas of health (physical
health & family social health)
– Eat healthfully.
– Exercise adequately.
– Care for your health daily.
– Take time for yourself regularly.
– Sleep bountifully.
– Manage stress diligently.
 Play
 Learn to do something new and fun
 Know yourself
 Be attuned to your thoughts and
feelings.
 Keep a journal.

 Recognize when “this just doesn’t

seem like I usually think or act”.
 Say “no” sometimes. Don’t overbook
your schedule or your life.
 Make time for quiet

 Turn off the cell phone, TV…

How do you know if you have
good mental and emotional
health?
What characteristics might
someone who has good
mental/emotional health
possess?
 People with good mental/emotional health
demonstrate the following characteristics:
 Sense of belonging:
 Feeling close to family members, friends,

teachers, and other provides you with support.

 Sense of purpose:
 Recognizing that you have value and importance

as a person lets you set and reach goals.

 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.
Everyone has to manage difficult
and stressful situations.
Mentally and emotionally healthy
people handle stresses in positive
ways.
These people are resilient.
 Resiliency – the ability to adapt
effectively and recover from
disappointment, difficult, or crisis.
 Developing self-esteem influences the
other characteristics of good mental
health.
 Self-esteem – how much you value,
respect, and feel confident about
yourself.
 Self-esteem affects your overall attitude
and the health choices you make.
 What kind of things or situations increase
your self-esteem?
 Increases when you are praised for your efforts or
a job well done.
 Increases when you believe that you can succeed,
or when you master new challenges.
 No one succeeds at new tasks and activities all
the time.
 Why might someone not succeed at something the first
time?
 Use positive self-talk
 What are some examples of negative self-talk?
 How can you change those around to positive self-talk?
 Helps you feel proud of yourself and your
abilities, skills, and accomplishments.
 You feel that setbacks are temporary.

 You have the confidence to attack challenges

and overcome them.

 Gives you the confidence to try new things
regardless of outcome.
 Don’t see self as a failure if they do not
succeed at something.
Improving Your Self-Esteem
 You can control many things that affect your
self-esteem.
 Avoid criticizing yourself, or spending time
with people who criticize you.
 Set realistic expectations, and don’t expect
everything to be perfect.
 Choose friends who value and respect you.
 Focus on positive aspects about yourself.
 Replace negative self-talk with positive.
 Work toward accomplishments rather than
perfection.
Improving self-esteem cont.
 Consider your mistakes learning
opportunities.
 Try new activities to discover you talents.
 Write down your goals and the steps you will
take to achieve them.
 Exercise regularly to feel more energized.
 Volunteer your time to help someone.
 Accept the things you can’t change, and
focus your energy on changing the things you
can.
Developing Self-Awareness
 American psychologist Abraham Maslow
created a theory that explains human
development and motivation.
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
 A ranked list of those needs essential to human
growth and development, presented in
ascending order, starting with basic needs and
building towards the need for your highest
potential.
Hierarchy of Needs
Level 5:
Self-actualization

Level 4:
Feeling Recognized
Level 3:
Belonging

Level 2: Safety

Level 1: Physical Needs

Physical Needs – Level 1
 Need to satisfy life’s basic needs of
hunger, thirst, sleep, and shelter.
 Once these needs are met then we
become interested in meeting the needs
in the next level.
Safety Needs
 The need to be secure from danger.
 Safety needs include:
 Protection
 Security
 Order
 Law
 Limits
 Stability
Belonging – Level 3
 Once your basic and safety needs are met
then you become interested in meeting the
need to belong and be loved.
 This includes having or being a part of:
 Family
 Affection
 Relationships
 Work groups
Esteem Needs or Feeling
Recognized – Level 4
 The need to achieve, and/or need to be
recognized.
 Achievement
 Status
 Responsibility
 reputation
Self-Actualization – Level 5
 Self
Actualization – to strive to be the
best you can.
 Personal growth
 Fulfillment

 Reaching your potential is something that

is ongoing and can take a lifetime to
accomplish.
Meeting your needs in a healthy
way.
 Need to understand how to meet needs in
a healthy way and avoid meeting needs
using high risk behaviors.
 For example: joining a gang to meet belonging
needs.
 How do you meet your needs in each of the
levels.
 What level are you focused most on right now?
 Why do you think understanding your needs
affects your self-esteem?
 Continue Reading Go Ask Alice