Chapter 5: Lesson 5.1 Being Mentally and Emotionally Healthy pg. 129

Understanding Mental and Emotional Health

As you previously learned, and health has to do with your life—your and . Mental health describes how you observe and information. It affects how you make , solve problems, and examine situations in your daily life. Emotional health refers to how you and your thoughts and feelings. It includes your emotions, , about yourself, and way of viewing the world. People with positive mental and emotional health share similar traits and characteristics (Figure 5.1).

(Figure 5.1) Characteristics of People with Positive Mental and Emotional Health:

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5.

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7.

Cont. Understanding Mental and Emotional Health

Positive and health have many benefits. They help people make meaningful contributions to their family, school, and community. This means people benefit from feeling good about themselves. It also means people benefit when other people in the community feel positively. In addition, people with positive mental and emotional health are better able to

• in school and activities

• and content

• cope with and stresses

• work through

• know when to from family, friends, or other trusted adults

Having positive mental and emotional health does not mean all the time. It is normal to have ups and downs. Sometimes people feel happy, have a positive outlook, and feel they can take on any challenge. Other times, people feel sad or tired or have negative thoughts and feelings during .

Some people have mental (thoughts and feelings that decrease mental and emotional health). When mental health conditions interfere with daily function for a short amount of time, they are known as mental distress. For example, you might feel very sad or angry after a fight with a sibling. Your feelings might your life for a brief time. Eventually, these feelings of sadness and anger will pass. When a mental health condition becomes long-term and interferes with daily function, it is a mental illness.

Discovering Your Identity

How would you answer the question “Who are you?” Your answer will probably depend on which part of your identity (who you are) is your current focus. Your focus may be on your physical, social, or psychological identities (Figure 5.2).

Aspects of Your Identity

Physical

Social

Psychological

Cont. Discovering Your Identity

People often focus on different parts of their identities at different ages. During early childhood, children typically define themselves by their . This includes children's physical characteristics and abilities. For example, a four- or five-year-old boy may describe himself as a tall boy with black hair and green eyes who runs fast.

As children enter middle childhood, around six years of age, their focus often shifts to their . Social identity is a person’s connection to other people, including family and friends. It is also a person’s relationship with cultural, ethnic, political, national, and religious groups in a community. Children may define their social identities by focusing on these connections. As children age, their interests expand, and they get involved in new activities. They begin to interact more with friends, family, and community members. Children want to be a part of social groups with people who share similar interests.

During the teen years, teens tend to focus on their unique personal qualities and . They define themselves in terms of their personal values, beliefs, and attitudes. Values are the things a person considers to be the most important in life. Personal beliefs are ideas or thoughts a person knows to be true, based on real experiences, scientific facts, or what a person has learned from others. Attitudes are set ways a person thinks or feels about someone or something. A person’s psychological identity can be a combination of many , , and , which often change throughout life.

Exploring Your Self-Image

Now that you have identified who you are, consider how you see yourself. Do you generally like the way you look? Do you think of yourself as a good person? Are you happy with the personality traits you possess (Figure 5.3)? Do you accept your strengths and weaknesses? Answering questions such as these can give you a sense of your self-image.

Which five personality traits best describe you? (Use the table on pg. 133)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Your , also called , is your mental picture of yourself. Your is how you view your , , and abilities, and weaknesses. People with positive mental and emotional health accept themselves for who they are. They accept the way they look—even though they may not like all of their physical features. They have confidence in their skills and abilities and work toward improving their weaknesses.

You are not born with a . It forms gradually over time, starting in childhood. Your life experiences and interactions with others influence your self-image. As you experience different events and interact with different people, your self-image may change.

The view you have of yourself is likely different from how others see you. This is because your unique personal values, beliefs, and attitudes shape your opinion of yourself. The way you see yourself affects how you relate to others. If you view yourself in a , people will probably respond positively to you. If the view you have of yourself is negative, others may view you in this way, too.

Determining Your Level of Self-Esteem

How you feel about yourself, or , closely relates to how you . How you feel about yourself has a major impact on many different aspects of your life (Figure 5.4). Self-esteem varies from , and many factors can affect how you feel about yourself. Some people have healthy self-esteem, while other people have low self-esteem. Self-esteem also changes with life experiences and new understanding.

Factors That Affect Self-Esteem

Many different factors can affect self-esteem. Other people are one of the biggest that can affect how you see yourself. For example, with family and friends who accept and treat you with respect can help you develop a sense of pride in who you are. On the other hand, if you receive constant criticism and rejection from others, you may develop low self-esteem. Your with others, whether positive or negative, can have a lasting effect on how you feel about yourself.

An is how you view yourself. Your thoughts about yourself, called self-talk, affect your self-esteem. Positive self-talk is encouraging and supportive and improves self-esteem. An example is thinking about how well you prepared for a test. constantly criticizes and finds faults. This type of self-talk can make you feel worse and lead to . Other factors that can affect self-esteem are shown in Figure 5.5.

Healthy Self-Esteem

People who have a view of and value themselves have healthy self-esteem. If you have healthy self-esteem, you feel good about yourself—including your —and you have a positive self-image. If you have healthy self-esteem, you also feel good about your with other people. You feel loved, appreciated, and accepted by your friends and family members.

Having healthy self-esteem does not mean that you only experience and never face problems or have days when you feel a little down. It just means that you cope well with unpleasant situations and disappointments.

People with healthy self-esteem view and failures as learning experiences, not as proof of their weaknesses. Moreover, when they run into obstacles, people with healthy self-esteem can accept and make a new plan. They are also more comfortable asking other people for help and support in times of need.

People who have healthy self-esteem have great skills. They trust their own and follow their own values. They are confident that they can make the , even in difficult situations. When they feel pressure to go along with the crowd, people with healthy self-esteem have the courage to make the choice they believe is right or take for a poor choice. Having healthy self-esteem and good decision-making skills makes people more likely to refuse behaviors outside the boundaries or limits of what makes them comfortable. They also promote healthy romantic relationships.

Low Self-Esteem

People who have low self-esteem their own self-worth and may engage in negative self-talk about their traits, skills, and abilities (Figure 5.6). If you have low self-esteem, you may wish you could change your , , or . You may feel left out of social groups and disconnected from other people. You may also question whether other people like or respect you, in part, because you do not really like or respect yourself.

People with low self-esteem often worry about what other people think of them. They may try to show off because they want to convince other people of their . Being concerned about the opinions of others makes people with low self-esteem vulnerable to pressure. People with low self-esteem may feel unable to to engage in unhealthy behaviors. Unfortunately, these behaviors can have long-term health consequences.

Most people experience periods of low self-esteem from . This is a normal part of life. As young people try to figure out who they are, they can feel uncertain about themselves, lost, or think they do not measure up to others. This does not have to . Young people can learn to work through these issues and accept who they are. They can their self-esteem by caring for themselves, avoiding perfectionism, and celebrating their strengths and successes.