Mental and Emotional Health

Mental and Emotional HealthHealth Goal #1I will Develop Good Character1Mental and Emotional HealthThe two areas of Mental and Emotional Health that we are focusing on today are:

Values and Character

Self-Esteem2Values and CharacterA value is a standard or belief

Family values standards that are held by members of a family

Character A persons use of self-control to act on responsible valuesValues respect, honesty, integrity, loyalty, stewardship, friendliness, courage, dependability, generosity, acceptance, accountability, ambition, compassionate, Forgiving, Being humble,

Family Values Responsibility, communication, traditions, maybe your family values education highly.

Character The ability to use self control to regulate your behaviors. For instance, if you value honesty, and are accidently given too much change by a grocery store clerk, what would you do? If you truly do value honesty, you will make it a point to return the money simply because your character and ability to use self control has kicked in and done the right thing.3Values and CharacterSelf-control the degree to which a person regulates his or her own behaviors

Moderation placing limits to avoid excess

Delayed gratification the voluntary postponement of an immediate reward in order to complete a task before enjoying a reward. Self control leads to moderation. If you value your health, which you all should, you should be practicing moderation in many things. The biggest and easiest example is food. If you value your health, you use your character along with your self control to moderate, or limit the amount of food that you will eat. This is moderation.

A person of good character and good self control will be able to practice the art of delayed gratification. Ask for ways the kids can show delayed gratification in their personal lives. 4Delayed Gratificationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ

5Self-EsteemSelf-esteem is ones belief about ones own worth.

Two types: Positive and Negative

Positive self-esteem is a persons belief that he is worthy and deserves respect.

Negative self-esteem a persons belief that he is not worthy and does not deserve respect Self esteem is an important indicator of someones mental health. 6Self-EsteemReasons for developing positive self-esteem: People with positive self-esteem are more likely to practice life skillsMaintain health by keeping body, mind, and relationships in top conditionBetter at making important decisionsResponsible for your own decisions, not just going with the crowdHave confidence in themselves and dont give in to pressure easily

7Self-EsteemContinued: Have firm foundations in difficult timesTake calculated risks to matureDont worry about failing

8Self-EsteemSelf-efficacy a persons belief in his or her capacity or ability to perform a behavior or skill in a desired way.

Important in obtaining personal goals and being confident in yourselfRelated to self esteem is self efficacy. Important to have that I think I can attitude!9Self-EsteemSelf-Respect a high regard for oneself because one behaves in responsible ways.

People respect people who respect themselves

Do not confuse this with conceit10Developing Good Character and Improving Self-EsteemPeriodically conduct a character test on yourself List out responsible values and evaluate to see if you are reflecting those values. Seek feedback from responsible adultsA good way to help yourself identify and keep yourself honest is to perform a character test. DO TEST NOW! Have kids break into groups and add to list of values, then check the ones they have shown recently, and write examples of what they can do to show the other ones asap!11Developing Good Character and Improving Self-EsteemImproving Self-Esteem: Have high belief statements! Dont sell yourself short.

Positive belief statements will make you feel good about yourself which is key to a healthful, positive self-esteem.

Negative belief statements will deteriorate self-esteem and lead to trouble. 12Developing Good Character and Improving Self-EsteemGuidelines to self-respect:

Pay attention to your appearanceMake a list of responsible actions and review this list oftenBe a friend to yourself by enjoying activities and hobbies, by yourselfWrite your feelings in a journalMake spending time with family members a priority

13Developing Good Character and Improving Self-EsteemContinued: Care for other people in the way you would like to be cared forLet other people know what helps you feel specialSupport the interests of family members and friends, and ask them to support your interestsAsk family members and friends to tell you examples of your actions that have shown characterGet plenty of exercise to generate well-being14Developing Good Character and Improving Self-EsteemEXERCISE!!! This is an easy step to helping you feel your best.

Beta-endorphins After vigorous exercise beta-endorphins are released into the bloodstream which are substances in the brain that create a feeling of well-being. 15Improving Self-Esteem3 easy ways to improve:

1. Work on Self-Improvement2. Make yourself stand out3. Remove your negative self-esteemWork on Self-ImprovementThese are things that make your level of self-efficacy improve.

Dress WellPractice quality hygiene!Practice good postureExerciseGive back to othersDress well This means to dress appropriately in a way in which it makes you feel good about yourselfQuality Hygiene Brush your teeth, comb your hair, take a shower, wear deodorant.. Good posture Poor posture promotes laziness and a lack of enthusiasm. Good posture will naturally make you feel more positive and confident. Stand or sit up straight, keep shoulders back, head up straight and practice making quality eye contact with people who you are talking to.Exercise Produces those beta-endorphins.Give back to others Be intentional about helping others. Volunteer. See how it makes you feel inside when you do it, it can become addicting!17Make yourself stand outCompliment othersSpeak up

Compliment others Complimenting others will help to rid yourselves of any negative thoughts throughout the day. By intentionally looking for the best in others, you will naturally bring out the best in yourself.

Speak up - Many people never speak up because theyre afraid that people will judge them or think of them negatively. The simple fact is that these are fears everyone experiences. By making an effort to speak up at least once in every group discussion, youll become a better public speaker, more confident in your own thoughts and recognized as a leader by your peers.18Remove Negative Self-EsteemStart from withinCreate daily affirmationsBe your own personFace your fears and learn from your failuresStop negative thoughtsLearn to appreciate yourself

Start from within - Ignore any and all destructive criticism or insults, including any from your past. Your opinion of yourself is the most important opinion of all, because you know yourself better than anyone else. Many of us have been hurt by others at some time. It is crucial not to internalize that abuse and let them continue to hurt us, because that means the other person wins. If we let go of the past, ignore hurtful negativity and make ourselves happy, then we win.

Create daily affirmations - Tell yourself that you are a wonderful person who deserves to be happy. Make a list of all the things you like about yourself. If you've made mistakes that prevent you from believing that you deserve to be happy, take measures to relieve that guilt. Apologize to people you may have hurt (if possible), learn from those mistakes and forgive yourself.

Be your own person - Don't try to copy anyone else. You will be at your best when you are being yourself because of your uniqueness. Strive to be your best and do not criticize yourself if you fall short of your expectations.

Face your fears and learn from your failures - We only fail when we do not make the best out of adversity. When something doesn't go the way we would like it to, there is something to be learned from that, which can be applied next time you are in a similar situation. Get up and try again.

Stop negative thoughts - Try positive thinking on for size. The term self-fulfilling prophecy in relation to self-esteem basically states that whatever you believe about yourself, whether it be perfect or totally off base, becomes true. If you constantly tell yourself you are stupid or that you will never achieve success, you will in turn act as such. When negative thoughts come into your mind, speak to them. Say "Stop" or "No," and instantly replace that negative thought with a positive one. Using this method will help you to break the habit of repeatedly giving yourself negative messages. Instead, make a habit out of saying positive things about yourself and to yourself, and use the self-fulfilling prophecy to your advantage.

Learn to appreciate yourself - Everyone has strengths, weaknesses, habits, and principles that define who you are and can make you distinctive. Spend more time focusing on the qualities about yourself that you like and less on the ones that you dislike. You can better accomplish this by taking up hobbies and projects that you can do which will make use of your strengths.

19Building Characterhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhfUzodLRvk

20ReferencesYoutube

http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-Self-Esteem