Having a positive outlook Being comfortable with yourself and others Being able to meet life’s challenges and demands Being able to cope, adapt, and thrive on many levels of life

Realistic about your strengths and weaknesses Responsible for your personal behavior Avoid high-risk behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs Open-minded and flexible Fun-loving and able to relax alone or with others Respect both their own and others’ needs

Put your talents and abilities to good use View change as a challenge and an opportunity Respect everyone’s value as a human being— including your own Express emotions in a way that doesn’t hurt others or themselves Invest time and energy into nourishing relationships

Positive Self-Image Good Mental Health Self- Esteem

List five good things or strengths about yourself Journal Entry #7.1

List four supportive people in your life Journal Entry #7.2

List three things you love to do How about helping someone else? Journal Entry #7.3

Feeling good about yourself, having positive friends and family members, and doing things you love will support a positive attitude about life.

What is stress? –The body’s and mind’s reaction to everyday demands or threats –Hormone are released that affect you physically –Stress scale—how did you rate? How does stress affect mental health? –Negative stress causes distress in your life –Positive stress helps you achieve your goals

Learn to recognize the signs of stress… Physical signs Emotional signs Mental signs Behavioral signs

First: Identify the source of stress –A Person, time management, planning your day, a situation Second: Deal with the stress that is upsetting you –Eliminate it or walk away –Change the way you perceive the stress or react to the stress

What are emotions? Signals that tell your mind and body how to react Emotions influence your thoughts, actions, and stress response

Love—having affection, deep concern, respect Empathy—the ability to imagine and understand how someone else feels Fear—a worry or concern that something is threatening Anger—related to a perception of being offended or wronged Guilt—when you think you’ve done something wrong or acted against your values and beliefs Anxiety—a mood condition that occurs without an identifiable reason or source

Recognize stress in yourself –High stress causes you to be more reactive to situations and people –Low or no stress can make you lazy Hormones affect emotions –Oversensitive on some days –Insecure on some days People or situations you don’t like

Ask yourself—what is this situation really about; do I have control over what caused this feeling? Will this feeling or emotion matter tomorrow, next week, later? Do not take action on a strong feeling until you’ve checked in with yourself and understand what’s going on. Remember that feelings are just feelings. Strong feelings can be a sign of danger. Positive feelings help inspire you. Upsetting feelings can motivate you to change. Ask for help if certain feelings don’t go away.

Have you ever been so angry at someone that you’ve thrown things or slammed doors? Do you tend to remember irritating incidents and get mad all over again? Do you find your self getting annoyed at little things family and friends do that get under your skin? If someone doesn’t show up on time, do you find yourself thinking about the angry words you’re going to say to that person?

Strategies used to deal with strong or stressful emotions and situations… Repression Suppression Rationalization Regression Denial Compensation Projection Idealization

Anger can be a destructive emotion if not handled properly Rechanneling your anger in a positive, productive way –Drawing, playing music, go for a walk or jog, play with your dog Get away by yourself –Have a good cry –Punch a pillow Call a friend Write down how and what you are feeling and why

Recognize the signs of anxiety in you –Short tempered, withdrawn, tapping fingers or foot, heart pounding fast Relate the feelings to a situation or person –Taking a test, coming home to an empty house, being around a person you don’t like Take responsibility for your own emotions –Don’t project your feelings onto someone or something else Make a decision to act or not

1. State the situation 2. List the options 3. Weight the possible outcomes 4. Consider your values 5. Make a decision and act 6. Evaluate the decision

Outlook on Life –Pessimist (always looking at the negative aspect of things) –Optimist (always looking at the positive aspect of things) There are always options to change Look at a stressful situation as a challenge, not a crisis

Resiliency –The ability to adapt effectively and recover from disappointment, difficulty, or crisis People with resiliency are: –Able to bounce back quickly –Able to survive and thrive in the face of hardship –Able to not get overwhelmed when the going gets tough View what was wrong as a challenge and face it head on with specific ways to meet it.

Student Assignment (Use the links below to pull up the assignment sheets for this project) ASSIGNMENT #7.1 Print off the List of Mental Disorders worksheet. Choose five-(5) mental illnesses or disorders that you would like to know more about; check the boxes under “Topics Chosen.” LESSON 7A-List of Mental Disorders and Illnesses

Student Assignment (Use the links below to pull up the assignment sheets for this project) ASSIGNMENT #7.2 Print off five-(5) copies of the Literary Depictions Of… papers (you should have one of these for each illness or disorder you are researching) Fill out the information under Symptoms, Treatments and Causes (the literary depictions) for each. LESSON 7B-Literary Depictions of Mental Health LESSON 7B-Literary Depictions of Mental Health (x5)

Student Assignment (Use the links below to pull up the assignment sheets for this project) ASSIGNMENT #7.3 4). Choose two-(2) mental illnesses or disorders to answer the research questions, you should have two copies of the questions to turn in. LESSON 7C-Research Questions LESSON 7C-Research Questions (x2)