Mental and Emotional Health

: a feeling produced in response to a life event (produced by the brain)

Both personality and experience influence a person’s emotional responses◦ As you grow and experience more situations, people learn and

change their emotional responses

Emotions in teens are also affected by the changes happening in their bodies (i.e. inherited personality traits, hormones, learning and life experiences)

Most teens are happy and well-adjusted (they have healthy emotional lives

Teen Emotions

A range of emotions organized by how pleasant they are:

Despair Sadness Contentment Happiness Elation

It is to have a wide range of emotions

Emotional Spectrum

Prejudice: an unfair judgment made before a person knows anything about someone or something

Misdirection: aiming your feelings at a person who did nothing to cause those feelings

If you are angry at someone, it is not always best to confront them .◦ Allow time to “cool down”

Love/Hate/Anger

Communication allows people to understand each other

Verbal communication: expressing and understanding thoughts and emotions by talking

Non-verbal communication: Communicating in ways other than talking◦ Body language: a way to express thoughts and

emotions with the face, hands, and posture◦ : Shows that you are interested

Communicating Emotions

Active listening: not only hearing, but also showing that you understand what a person is saying

: Acting on your values and thoughts without making other people feel bad

Communicating Emotions

During an emotional response, chemical changes in the brain cause changes in the body:

Fear: increase HR, blood pressure, breathing; lightheadedness; trembling, shaking; sweating

Happiness: lower HR and blood pressure : increase HR, blood pressure,

muscle tension, quick energy boost, and slowed digestion

Physical Effects

Response ◦ Your heart beats faster◦ Your pupils dilate◦ Your senses sharpen

Physical Effects

Using an art to express emotions

Includes: painting, sculpting, acting in a play, dancing, writing, playing music

Creative Expression

Unpleasant emotions can be healthy because they help you

Negative thinking (BAD): focusing on only the bad parts of a situation

Positive self-talk (GOOD): the process of thinking about the good parts of a bad situation

Dealing with Unpleasant Emotions

Stress: body’s response to new or unpleasant situations

Response to something new or threatening : anything that causes a stress

response There is both good and bad stress Can cause physical problems Stress and are NOT the same

thing

Stress

: our responses to stress (a short-term way to handle stress)

Healthy defense mechanisms: using humor Unhealthy defense mechanisms:

transferring unpleasant feelings about a situation to specific people

Coping with Stress

stress can make stress worse Planning for important tasks helps

manage stress effectively to people about stress can help

relieve stress

Coping with Stress

A person, thing, or event that causes an response

If you recognize that certain situations always make you feel badly, you can try to avoid these situations.

Triggers

Self-esteem is a measure of how much you value and respect yourself

A person with high self-esteem will himself or herself for who they are

Build self-esteem by:◦ Setting goals◦ Helping others◦ Focusing on your strengths

Self-Esteem

The way you see or imagine as a person

Self-Concept

What is the difference??

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Concept

Being with yourself and others

Integrity

A that affects a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors

1 out of every 6 people has a mental illness

Can be grouped by the kinds of emotional and behavioral changes they cause◦ Examples: anxiety disorders, mood disorders,

schizophrenia

Mental Illness

An that causes unusually strong nervousness, worry, or panic

Panic disorder◦ Causes a person to have panic attacks◦ People become extremely scared; experience fast HR,

difficulty breathing, lightheadedness Phobias

◦ Can trigger panic attacks Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

◦ Combination of repetitive thoughts/actions, anxiety, and ritual activity

Anxiety Disorders

An illness in which people have mood changes

Bipolar mood disorder◦ Causes a person to experience 2 kinds of extreme

moods: depression and mania

Mood Disorders