Journal #7

1. Journal #7 • Why is it important to learn about how to keep your mental and emotional health in check? • What is personality? • What is your personality like? • What personality trait do you find most attractive? Least attractive?

2. Mental and Emotional Health

3. Characteristics of Good Mental Health • The ability to accept yourself and others, adapt to and manage emotions, and deal with the demands and challenges you meet in life. • People with good mental health demonstrate the following characteristics: • Positive self-esteem • Sense of belonging • Sense of purpose • Positive outlook • Autonomy

4. Signs of Good Mental Health • Realistic about strengths and weaknesses • Responsible for their behavior • Avoid high risk behaviors • Open minded, flexible, and able to see several sides of an issue • Fun loving and able to relax • Respect their needs and the needs of others • Invest time and energy into relationships • Express emotions that do not hurt them or others • Put their talents and abilities to good use • View change as a challenge and opportunity

5. Pyramid of Needs • Hierarchy of needs-a ranked list of those needs essential to human growth and development, presented in ascending order, starting with basic needs and building toward the needs for reaching your highest potential.

6. Personality • A complex set of characteristics that makes you unique • Influences on personality: • Heredity (temperament, talents, risk taking) • Environment (role models, values) • Modeling-observing and learning from the behaviors of those around you. • Behavior (decisions)

7. Personality Tests • http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp • http://www.personalitytest.net/ipip/ipipneo120.htm • http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ • http://www.41q.com/ • http://www.personaldna.com/tests.php

8. Personal Identity • Your sense of yourself as a unique individual • Your identity includes: • Your interests • Your likes and dislikes • Your talents and abilities • Your values and beliefs • Your goals

9. Developmental Assets • The building blocks of development that help young people grow up as healthy, caring, and responsible individuals. • Just some of the developmental assets: • Support • Empowerment • Boundaries and expectations • Constructive use of time • Commitment to learning • Positive values • Social competencies • Positive identity

10. Working Toward a Health Identity • Recognize your strengths and weaknesses • Demonstrate positive values • Develop a purpose in your life • Form meaningful relationships • Contribute to the community • Avoid unhealthful risk behaviors

11. Understanding Your Emotions • Emotions-signals that tell your mind and body how to react • Joy can prompt the release of brain chemicals that cause you to experience warmth and a sense of well-being • Fear can trigger physical changes, including increased perspiration, an increase in heart rate, and tightening of muscles

12. Different Emotions • Happiness-being satisfied or feeling positive • Sadness-a normal, healthy reaction to difficult events • Love-involves strong affection, deep concern, and respect • Empathy-the ability to imagine and understand how someone else feels • Fear-when you are startled by something or someone • Guilt-acting against ones values or from failing to act when action might have brought about a better outcome • Anger-a common reaction to being emotionally hurt or physically harmed

13. Responding to Your Emotions • Look below the surface of your emotion • Consider whether or not the situation to which you are reacting will matter tomorrow, next week, or next year • Don’t take action on a strong feeling until you have thoroughly considered the possible consequences of your action • Use positive feelings to inspire yourself • If a negative feeling doesn't go away, seek help!

14. Managing Difficult Emotions • Defense mechanisms-mental processes that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations • Suppression-holding back or restraining • Handling fear: overcoming fear requires a strategy • Dealing with guilt: try to get at the underlying source and address that issue • Managing anger: try to get at the underlying source and address it

16. Characteristics of Good Mental Health • The ability to accept yourself and others, adapt to and manage emotions, and deal with the demands and challenges you meet in life. • People with good mental health demonstrate the following characteristics: • Sense of belonging • Positive outlook

17. Signs of Good Mental Health • Realistic about strengths and weaknesses • Avoid high risk behaviors • Fun loving and able to relax • Invest time and energy into relationships • Put their talents and abilities to good use

18. Pyramid of Needs • __________________-a ranked list of those needs essential to human growth and development, presented in ascending order, starting with basic needs and building toward the needs for reaching your highest potential.

19. Personality • A ______________set of characteristics that makes you __________ • Influences on personality: • (temperament, talents, risk taking) • (role models, values) • Modeling-observing and learning from the behaviors of those around you. • (decisions)

20. Personal Identity • Your sense of yourself as a unique individual • Your identity includes: • Your likes and dislikes • Your values and beliefs

21. Developmental Assets • The building blocks of development that help young people grow up as healthy, caring, and responsible individuals. • Just some of the developmental assets: • Support • Boundaries and expectations • Commitment to learning • Social competencies

22. Working Toward a Health Identity • Recognize your strengths and weaknesses • Develop a purpose in your life • Contribute to the community

23. Understanding Your Emotions • ____________-signals that tell your mind and body how to react • _____ can prompt the release of brain chemicals that cause you to experience warmth and a sense of well-being • ____________ can trigger physical changes, including increased perspiration, an increase in heart rate, and tightening of muscles

24. Different Emotions • __________-being satisfied or feeling positive • ____________-a normal, healthy reaction to difficult events • ________-involves strong affection, deep concern, and respect • _________-the ability to imagine and understand how someone else feels • ________-when you are startled by something or someone • ________________-acting against ones values or from failing to act when action might have brought about a better outcome • ____________-a common reaction to being emotionally hurt or physically harmed

25. Responding to Your Emotions • Consider whether or not the situation to which you are reacting will matter tomorrow, next week, or next year • Use positive feelings to inspire yourself

26. Managing Difficult Emotions • ___________________-mental processes that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations • _______________-holding back or restraining • Handling fear: • Dealing with guilt: • Managing anger:

27. Personality Tests • http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp • http://www.personalitytest.net/ipip/ipipneo120.htm • http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ • http://www.41q.com/ • http://www.personaldna.com/tests.php