Mental Health. Mental Health

Transcription

1 Lesson 2.1 By Carone Fitness Mental health is the combination of three interconnected dimensions of wellness: spiritual wellness, emotional wellness, and intellectual wellness. Your mental health determines how you interact with others, how you respond to life s challenges, and your desire to learn. 1

2 You can strengthen your overall mental health by developing each separate component. Spiritual wellness means to possess a meaning or purpose in life and to be driven by personal values and beliefs. 2

3 Your spiritual wellness determines how you interact with others around you. If you are spiritually well, you are able to love, forgive, and have joy and compassion. For some people, spiritual wellness can mean connecting with nature or a higher power. Many people develop and strengthen their spiritual health by practicing religion. However, whether or not you practice a particular religion is not necessarily a measure of your spiritual strength. 3

4 How do you develop spiritual wellness? You must first develop an inner peace. To do this you need to recognize who you are and who you are trying to become. This knowledge then empowers you to make your own decisions. You may be influenced by others, but your actions stem from what you, as an individual, believe. 4

5 Once you have a firm grasp on who you are, the next step to spiritual wellness is to understand that there is a universal need to feel valued and respected. Every individual has that need. Therefore, we should try to show others compassion, forgiveness, and respect. 5

6 This is accomplished more readily when we understand that we have no control over how other people feel or act. Although we may have emotional impulses, we can choose how we will act or react to any given situation. To strengthen your spiritual wellness, you can engage in self-nurturing activities. Self-nurturing activities are any pursuits that allow an individual to restore inner balance. Self-nurturing activities differ from person to person. 6

7 Some examples include: Praying or meditating Listening to music Taking a bubble bath Reflecting on personal values Writing in a journal Exercising Visiting a particular place Creating something Participating in a hobby Reading a special book Emotional Wellness Emotional wellness is to have a generally positive perspective of oneself and of life in general. Your emotional wellness determines how you will respond to life s challenges and demands. 7

8 Emotional Wellness Emotional wellness is governed by your thoughts. Whether you engage in positive or negative thinking affects your beliefs, attitudes, and actions. Emotional Wellness How do you develop emotional wellness? The first step to developing emotional wellness is to strengthen your selfesteem. Self-esteem is how an individual views his/her worth. To have high self-esteem is to have confidence in who you are. 8

9 Emotional Wellness Self-esteem is influenced by family, friends, teachers, and the media, but most importantly, by yourself. You can t control what others will say or do, but you can control how you treat yourself. Emotional Wellness To avoid negative self-talk, you first need to recognize when you are doing it. When negative thoughts about yourself enter your mind, send up a red flag. Then replace the negative thought with a positive one. For example, try telling yourself, I did poorly on this test, but I will study hard and do better on the next one. 9

10 Emotional Wellness To strengthen your emotional wellness, begin by treating yourself better. Do this by avoiding negative self-talk. Negative self-talk is when an individual puts oneself down with demeaning and hurtful thoughts. An example of negative self-talk would be thinking, I am a failure, or, I am so stupid, after doing poorly on a test. Emotional Wellness Controlling your thoughts takes practice, but the more you practice, the more often positive thoughts will naturally come to mind first. 10

11 Intellectual Wellness Intellectual wellness is to have the desire to stimulate the brain, memory, and imagination. Your intellectual wellness determines how you interact with the world around you. Intellectual Wellness Your scholastic achievements are not the only measure of your intellectual wellness. Intellectual strength includes creativity, curiosity, and an openness to new ideas. 11

12 Intellectual Wellness How do you develop intellectual wellness? You can begin by exploring the world you live in and noticing the many wonders that surround you. Intellectual Wellness To strengthen your intellectual wellness, begin by discovering your personal passion. A passion is something that excites you and ignites a hidden portion of yourself. 12

13 Intellectual Wellness For some, it is an activity they participate in, such as playing a sport or practicing a musical instrument. For others, it is studying subjects like the human body or marine life. And for still others, it involves creating something through writing or art. Intellectual Wellness This passion entices you to question things critically and to open your eyes, so you see things differently. It motivates you to learn new skills and increases your curiosity about other things. 13

14 Intellectual Wellness Once you have discovered your own passion, use it as a means of self-expression. Self-expression means to describe a portion of who you are in a nonverbal way. Presented By Carone Fitness 14