4 and 5 - Emotional Health

psychological/mental health

• contributes to every dimension of wellness 

• capacity to think, feel, and behave in ways that contribute to our ability to enjoy life and manage challenges 

• supported or sabotaged by a variety of factors (dietary choices, sleep patterns, relationship issues) 

what psychological health is not

• the same as psychological normality

• being mentally normal simply means being close to average 

• presence or absence of symptoms to determine if someone is “mentally ill” or “mentally healthy”

• determined according to how people look 

emotional health 

• acceptance of your own feelings 

• understanding and management of emotions 

• recognizing feelings in others

• connection 

meeting life’s challenges: learning to cope 

• learn to cope with life’s large and small challenges

• continue to grow psychologically, developing new and more sophisticated coping mechanisms 

• how respond to life’s challenges influences the development of personality and identity 

two types of stress

• 1) eustress: good stress

• 2) distress: bad stress

• body’ s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response

• physical, mental, and emotional responses

• everything we do is stressful by definition - how we manage it is what matters

stressors

• physical, mental, or social event that causes our bodies to adjust to it

• tangible or intangible

common sources of stress

• major life changes

• daily hassles

• job-related stressors (BURNOUT)

• social stressors:

• real social networks 

• virtual social networks 

common sources of stress

• postsecondary stressors:

• academic

• interpersonal

• time pressures

• financial concerns

• future worries

• environmental stressors:

• natural disasters

• acts of violence

• industrial accidents

symptoms - what does stress feel like?

• physical: GI upset, headache, back/neck pain, muscle tension, shortness of breath, fatigue, sugar cravings

• social: irritable, impatient, frustrated, angry, withdrawn

• psychological: nervous, unsettled, anxious, jittery, lethargic, hard to make decisions, memory issues

physiology of the stress response 

• pupils dilate

• blood flow shifts to CNS and larger muscles 

• respirations and cardiac output increase

• digestion decreases

• glucose release increases

• epinephrine and norepinephrine increase

• decrease in reproductive hormones

• increased immune response

• increased muscle tension 

positive ways to deal with stress

• learn relaxation techniques:

• deep breathing

• progressive relaxation

• visualization

• meditation

• give senses

positive ways to deal with stress

• OR

• change the way you think (cognitive behavioural therapy)

• improve your diet

• exercise, sleep, laugh, pets, hobbies, distraction

• talk therapy (ind/grp)

• meditation

• hypnosis

• massage

• time management