Mental Health

Term 1

Define WHO health

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

What are the two branches of health?

Dynamic and subjective.

What does dynamic health mean?

When health is dynamic, it is in a constant state of change, where changes can occur quickly or slowly. For example, a person may be in an optimal state of health and then contract an infectious disease and become sick.

What does subjective health mean?

When health is subjective, it means different things to different people. For example, an elderly person may view their health and wellbeing as good if they are able to live independently and look after themselves.

What are the five dimensions of health?

Social, physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.

Define social health and list the characteristics:

Social health refers to the ability to form meaningful and satisfying relationships with others and the ability to manage or adapt appropriately to different social situations.

Characteristics include relationships, network of friends, network of family and efficient communication.

Define physical health and list the characteristics

Physical health relates to the functioning of the body and its systems, including the physical capacity to perform daily tasks.

Characteristics include body weight, levels of fitness, blood pressure and physical capacity to perform tasks.

Define mental health and list the characteristics

Mental health relates to the state of a person’s mind or brain and the ability to think and process information.

Characteristics include ability to think, thought patterns, levels of stress and anxiety.

Define spiritual health and list the characteristics

Spiritual health relates to ideas, beliefs, values and ethics that arise in the minds and conscience of human beings. It includes the concepts of hope, peace, a guiding sense of meaning or value, and a reflection on your place in the world.

Characteristics include acting according to values and beliefs, and a feeling of belonging and peace

Define emotional health and list the characteristics

Emotional health relates to the ability to express emotions and feelings in a positive way.

Characteristics include resilience, ability to recognise emotions, managing emotions, and efficiently expressing emotions.

Compare emotions and feelings

Emotions and feelings are both mental responses and affect decisions. However, emotions are sensations in the body, that manifest subconsciously or consciously. Meanwhile, feelings are generated thoughts about emotions and experienced consciously.

Define emotions

Emotions are conscious mental reactions subjectively experienced as strong feelings usually towards a specific object.

List the benefits of using an emotion wheel

• Improves emotional intelligence

• Helps to identify the root causes of emotions

• Shows how different emotions connect

• Supports finding new ways to cope with emotions

Identify the facial cues of each emotion: Disgust, anger, sadness, happiness, fear, surprise, contempt

Disgust: lowered eyebrows, crinkling of the sides and bridge of the nose, raised lips.

Anger: eyebrows pulled down and together, eyes open wide, mouth tight and pressed together.

Sadness: Inner corners of eyebrows pulled down and together, eyelids drooping, eyes looking down, corners of lips pulling downwards.

Happiness: eyes crinkled, lips pulled back for a smile, smile crease.

Fear: Eyebrows up, eyes wide, lower eyelids tense, jaw dropped, and corners of lips pulled down.

Surprise: Eyebrows raised but not drawn together, eyes wide, jaw dropped open.

Contempt: Tightened and raised lip corner on one side.

Define rejection

Rejection is an emotion that cannot be controlled, and means to dismiss as inadequate, unacceptable, or faulty.

Outline the impact of rejection on mental health

The brain is wired to detect rejection as a way of protecting ourselves from it. Rejection can result in stress and anxiety for the future, self-doubt, low self-esteem and self-worth, self-isolation, sadness and depression, anger, and reliance on addictive substances.

When should the ABCDE model be used?

The ABCDE model should be used to help address a variety of emotional difficulties including responding to rejection.

Outline the ABCDE model.

Activating event (situation) - the event you face, that triggers unwanted responses.

Beliefs - the thoughts and beliefs you had about A

Consequences - the internal and external behaviors that resulted from B.

Dispute - challenging the thoughts at B - are they rational?

Exchange - exchange old beliefs and thoughts for new, rational and balanced beliefs.

Define failure

Failure is a feeling of lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity. Faliure can be controlled.

List some common causes of failure

• Lack of supportive relationships

• Low self-esteem

• Making comparisons to others

• Shame

• Unrealistic expectations

Why is failure important in life?

Failure is important in life because it teaches resilience, fosters growth, and provides valuable lessons. When we fail, we gain insights into what went wrong and how we can improve, helping us develop problem-solving skills and adaptability.

Identify the similarities and differences between rejection and failure

Rejection and failure both involve not achieving a desired outcome, which can evoke feelings of disappointment, frustration, or self-doubt. However, rejection typically involves an external judgment or decision made by others, such as being turned down for a job or a relationship. Failure, on the other hand, is broader and may arise from personal mistakes, unmet goals, or circumstances beyond one’s control.

State reasons why people may suppress their emotions

People may suppress their emotions for a variety of emotions, some of which include being told to do so by others, to avoid socially unacceptable emotions, and to conform. In addition, a person may suppress emotions to replace an uncomfortable feeling with a better one, or to avoid traumatic experiences or memories.

Outline the physiological and psychological effects of suppressing emotions

Some physiological effects of suppressing emotions include tightening of muscles, physical pain, nausea, digestive problems, and chronic illnesses. A few psychological effects of suppressing emotions include irritability/moodiness, anxiety, and depression.

Evaluate the consequences of suppressing emotions

Through suppressing emotions, a person may feel more socially accepted by others and avoid uncomfortable feelings. However, by suppressing emotions, a person can experience a variety of physical and mental consequences, ranging from pain and nausea, to depression and anxiety. Therefore, it is not recommended to suppress emotions.

Define mindset

A mindset is a characteristic or habitual mental attitude towards situations. The type of mindset you embrace can affect the way you interpret and respond to situations.

Define a fixed and growth mindset

A fixed mindset that people can adopt whereby they believe their intelligence, talents, and personality are fixed traits and cannot grow. A growth mindset is a mindset that people can adopt whereby they believe their intelligence, talents and personality are traits that can grow through efforts, challenges, and feedback.

Outline the features of a fixed and growth mindset

A person who practices a fixed mindset is more likely to believe their talents and intellect is static and limited, as well as have a desire for approval and achieving success. In addition, they are likely to avoid challenges and the risk of failure or mistakes, leading to them sticking with tasks in which they can be successful. They may also resist seeking and embracing constructive feedback, and view mistakes as indicators of talent and intellect.

On the other hand, a person who practices a growth mindset is more likely to believe that learning and growth is possible in every area and have a desire for learning new things. They may also embrace challenges and risks in order to improve skills and knowledge as well as seek constructive feedback to pave next steps. In addition, a person with a growth mindset is more likely to understand the value of effort and use strategies to overcome challenges.

Compare the feature of feedback in a growth and fixed mindset, explaining how the characteristics of each will influence a person’s thinking and behaviour.

A person with a growth mindset tends to perceive feedback as an opportunity for learning and development. They embrace constructive criticism and actively seek feedback to identify areas for improvement and map out their next steps. For example, someone with this mindset might think, "I did well here, but I could improve in this area," and use feedback to refine their skills or strategies. This proactive approach fosters resilience, adaptability, and continuous growth.

In contrast, a person with a fixed mindset may resist or dismiss feedback, viewing it as a judgment of their inherent abilities rather than a chance for improvement. Negative thoughts like, "I don't want to look at this feedback," can lead them to avoid challenges or opportunities for development. As a result, they might disregard the feedback entirely, limiting their ability to learn and grow.

Compare the feature of mistakes in a growth and fixed mindset, explaining how the characteristics of each will influence a person’s thinking and behaviour.

Both growth and fixed mindsets involve reacting to challenges. They both shape a person's thinking and behavior, influencing how they approach learning, problem-solving, and effort. However, a growth mindset embraces mistakes, while a fixed mindset may see them as failures.

In a growth mindset, mistakes are embraced as opportunities to learn and improve. Individuals with this mindset might think, "This mistake shows me what I can work on next," or "Every failure is a step toward success." They actively seek challenges, believing that effort and persistence lead to growth. For example, a student with a growth mindset might review their errors on a test to understand where they went wrong and how to improve next time. This approach fosters resilience, adaptability, and a proactive attitude toward learning.

In contrast, a fixed mindset views mistakes as evidence of unchangeable limitations. Someone with this mindset might think, "I can't believe I messed up—this proves I'm not good at this," or "Mistakes mean I'm a failure." They may avoid situations where they risk making mistakes, fearing judgment or embarrassment. For instance, an employee with a fixed mindset might shy away from taking on new responsibilities, worried that errors could expose their perceived inadequacies. This mindset often leads to self-doubt, avoidance of challenges, and stagnation.

Outline one strategy from the learner model that can help replace fixed mindset thoughts and behaviours with growth-oriented ones for the chose common feature.

A strategy that can be implemented from the learner growth model is to ‘embrace the challenge’, which can help replace negative thoughts about challenges. Embracing the challenge practices growth mindset behaviours, and more positive engaged thoughts.

Define common thinking errors.

Common thinking errors are also known as cognitive distortions and are irrational beliefs.

Name the 9 common thinking errors and provide a brief description and example for each.

1. Minimisation and Magnification. Refers to exaggerating or minimising the importance of events. For example, believing your own achievements are unimportant, or believing your mistakes are excessively important.

2. Overgeneralisation. Refers to making broad interpretations from a single or few events. For example, thoughts like, '“I felt so awkward at my job interview. I’m always so awkward”.

3. Magical thinking. Refers to the belief that thoughts, actions, or emotions influence unrelated situations. For example, thoughts such as, “If I hadn’t hoped something bad would happen to him, he wouldn’t have gotten into an accident.”

4. Personalisation. Refers to the belief that you are responsible for events outside your control. For example, when your team loses the game, you think it’s all your fault.

5. Emotional reasoning. Refers to the assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are. For example, feeling like a bad friend and as a result believing that you are a bad friend, or feeling ugly and therefore believing that you are ugly.

6. Disqualifying the positive. Refers to recognising only the negative aspects of a situation and ignoring the positives. For example, receiving a load of compliments, but choosing to only focus on one bad comment.

7. “Should” statements. Refers to the belief that things should be a certain way. For example, thoughts like, “I should always be perfect,” or “She should just know what I want.”

8. All of nothing thinking. Refers to thinking in absolutes such as “always, “never”, “every”. For example, thinking, “I never do a good job in anything.”

9. Jumping to conclusions. Refers to interpreting the meaning of a situation with little to no evidence. For example, thoughts such as, “I bet no one will come to my birthday party",” or “People are looking at me—they probably think my shirt is ugly.”

Explain the importance of recognising common thinking errors.

By spotting thinking errors, individuals a better understand how their thoughts influence their feelings and actions. Recognising distorted thinking allows people to approach situations with clarity and logic, leading to more rational and balanced decisions. Identifying and challenging thinking errors can reduce anxiety, stress and negative emotions, supporting overall mental well-being. For example, when people avoid jumping to conclusions or assuming blame, they can communicate more effectively and strengthen their relationships.

List strategies to improve helpful thinking.

• Challenge negative thoughts

• Practice gratitude

• Self-reflection

• Set realistic goals

• Seek feedback

• Celebrate success

Define stress.

Stress is a physiological or psychological response produced by internal or external stressors, which begins in the brain.

Outline two categories of psychological responses.

One category is emotional changes, which influences the way a person feels. The other category is cognitive changes, which influence a person’s mental abilities, such as their perceptions and ability to learn and think.

Describe the fight, flight or freeze response.

The fight, flight or freeze response is a survival mechanism and involuntary response that is triggered by a threatening, fearful, or otherwise stressful situation. Whether we fight, flight, or freeze depends on the situation and the proximity of the threat. The fight, flight, or freeze response is a part of the sympathetic nervous system.

What roles does the amygdala play?

The amygdala is a small part of the brain that processes aggression and fear and is also responsible for making the body panic.

What roles does the prefrontal cortex play?

The prefrontal cortex is known to be the high-order association center of the brain. It is responsible for higher level functioning and processing, as well as planning, organising, initiating, and self-monitoring. It is also responsible for thinking through responses, weighing pros and cons, reading body language and facial expressions, and thinking about consequences.

Explain the brain’s response during the Fight, Flight or Freeze response.

When the fight, flight or freeze response is triggered, there is a shift in control from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala. The signals are sent to the amygdala and bypass the prefrontal cortex, meaning that the brain stops processing information. The amygdala responds by sending signals to the hypothalamus, which stimulates the autonomic nervous system.

Summarise the structure of the nervous system.

Nervous system: Central nervous system, peripheral nervous system.

PNS: Somatic, autonomic

Autonomic: Parasympathetic, sympathetic

Describe each structural level of the nervous system.

The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord and is responsible for processing information and coordinating responses.

The peripheral nervous system is a network of neurons spread throughout the head, neck and body, which connect the CNS with organs and limbs.

Somatic Nervous System: Links the brain and spinal cord to skeletal muscles under conscious control.

Autonomic Nervous System: Regulates involuntary processes such as heart rate, respiration, digestion.

Sympathetic Nervous System: Carries signals related to your fight or flight response. Increases heart rate, blood pressure, pupil size.

Parasympathetic Nervous System: Relieves body after periods of stress/danger. Does opposite of sympathetic nervous system.

Explain the nervous systems response during the Fight, Flight or Freeze response.

During the Fight, Flight or Freeze response, the sympathetic nervous system activates and prepares the body for a life threat. The heart speeds up, pupils dilate, and adrenaline is pumped through the blood. The body prepares to confront the threat, readies to escape, or temporarily stills movement. Once the threat passes, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over and helps the body return to normal. This includes slowing down the heart rate, relaxing muscles and decreasing stress hormones.

Describe the window of tolerance.

The window of tolerance is a concept to describe the optimal zone of “arousal” for a person to function in everyday life. Within this zone, a person can effectively manage and cope with their emotions.

Describe emotional dysregulation.

Emotional dysregulation is an inability to control or regulate one’s emotional response, which can lead to mood swings and significant changes to mood. When dysregulated (meaning one is outside the window of tolerance), one cannot regulate emotions effectively.

Describe hyperarousal and list symptoms.

Hyperarousal is the flight or fight response. During hyperarousal, the body is in a heightened state of activation /energy, and the nervous system kicks into high alert. A person may not feel in control of their own actions.

Symptoms of hyperarousal include:

• Angry outbursts

• Fear

• Anxiety

• Emotional overwhelm

• Hypervigilance

Describe hypoarousal and list symptoms.

Hypoarousal is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system and is also known as the freeze response. It is triggered by feeling threatened, traumatic memories, or emotions associated with past trauma.

Symptoms of hyperarousal include:

• Shutting down

• Avoiding or ignoring people

• Numbness

• Emptiness

• Blank stare

• Inability to speak

Identify similarities and differences between the FFF response and the window of tolerance.

Both the fight, flight or freeze response and the window of tolerance are controlled by the autonomic nervous system and are both triggered by feeling threatened. However, the fight, flight or freeze response is a survival mechanism and an involuntary response. In contrast, the window of tolerance is a concept that describes how well and effectively a person can regulate their emotions and tolerate stress.

State the purpose of grounding strategies.

Grounding strategies support individuals to focus on what’s going on around them instead of their thoughts, and also allows a person to slow their breathing, lower heart rate, and allow their brain to process information.

List benefits of grounding strategies

• Ground a person in the present moment and reorient them to their current reality.

• stop rumination

• keep you from ‘spiraling’

• manage intrusive thoughts

• reduce the intensity of distressing memories or flashbacks

• avoid or manage panic attacks

• resist the urge to self-harm

• cope with chronic pain

• boost mood

• build resilience

Write a brief description of as many grounding strategies as you can. (Aim for at least 5).

Box breathing: Inhaling through your nose for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 4 seconds, exhaling through your mouth for 4 seconds, holding again for 4 seconds.

Finger tapping: Slowly tap the tip of each finger against the tip of the thumb.

5-4-3-2-1: Think about 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 3 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

Reorientating yourself: where are you right now, what day is it today, what season is it, what’s the date today, what month is it, what year is it, how old are you?

Mindful observation: observe an object in great detail for 2 mins before moving on to another object.

Finding your feet: place two feet on the ground and feel the fabric of your socks and the floor beneath you. Wiggle your toes and feel the sensation, pretend your feet are connected to the floor, feel how grounded you are.

Body awareness: Take deep breaths, feel your feet, rub your hands together, clench your fists, pay attention to the sensations you feel as you do these things.

Imagine yourself somewhere safe: Imagine you are in a safe space, and take in as much detail about the place as you can.

Categories: think of a category and think of one thing in the category for each letter of the alphabet.

Describe an activity: describe an everyday activity in great detail.

Mental exercises: count backwards from 100 by 7, name all the objects you see and their uses, spell the name of people backwards, name family members and their ages and hobbies.

Explain how grounding strategies regulate the nervous system

Grounding strategies can regulate the nervous system by activating your parasympathetic nervous system through which calms the body down. By grounding ourselves, we allow the brain to focus and process information and come to the conclusion that we are not in danger, so there is no need for the sympathetic nervous system to be in control. The parasympathetic nervous system takes over and calms heartrate, breathing, and relaxes the muscles, regulating the nervous system.

Outline the impact of grounding strategies on the fight, flight or freeze response.

Grounding strategies can help the body come out of the fight, flight or freeze response by redirecting focus away from perceived threats and we re-engage the body and mind. We also allow our brain to process information clearer, which returns the control of the prefrontal cortex and triggering the parasympathetic nervous system. As our body calms down, we exit the fight, flight or freeze response.

What is emotion coaching and when should it be used?

Emotion coaching involves guiding someone and helps people become more aware of their emotions and to manage their own feelings. Emotion coaching should be used during times of heightened emotions.

Summarise the steps of emotion coaching.

1. Be aware of emotions. Tune into the person’s feelings and your own. Understand that emotions are a natural part of life and observe, listen, and learn how the person expresses different emotions. Watch for changes in these.

2. Connect with the person. Use emotional moments as opportunities to connect with them. Try not to dismiss or avoid emotions and recognise feelings and encourage the person to talk about their emotions.

3. Listen with empathy and validate. Respect the persons feelings by taking the time to listen carefully. Avoid giving unsolicited advice such as, “If I were you…”, “why don’t you just…” Avoid judgement.

4. Label emotions. Help the person label and identify emotions.

5. Find good solutions. Explore solutions together. Avoid fixing the problem on the person’s behalf.

Example phrases for each step:

1. “Is everything alright? Tell me what’s going through your head.”

2. “I get mad when things don’t work out too.” '“Let’s sit here for a moment, I’ll stay with you. It’s okay to feel ___”

3. “This is a really tough situation.” “I’m sorry you’re going through this.”

4. “Tell me how you’re feeling.”

5. “Do you have any ideas for what we can do to help you?” “What could your next steps be?”

Define empathy.

Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.

Define sympathy.

Feeling pity or sorrow for another person’s misfortune.

Using an example, explain the difference between empathy and sympathy.

Empathy is feeling with someone, while sympathy is feeling for someone. If someone loses their job, a friend expressing empathy may deeply connect with their feelings and remember a time they lost their job, relating to their feelings. That friend may tell them they understand how they feel and how tough it is. On the other hand, a friend expressing sympathy may not understand how the person who has lost their job truly feels but recognise that they are struggling and show concern. The friend may tell them they are “very sorry to hear that,” but not feel their emotions firsthand.