The world health organisation
Abbreviated to WHO
International health authority within the UN
193 member countries
Australia has been a member since 1948
WHO’s definition of health (from 1946)
Health is a state of compete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Dynamic health & wellbeing
It is a constant state of change, changes can occur quickly or slowly
A person could be experiencing optimal physical functioning and then contract an infectious disease making them feel sick
Subjective Health & wellbeing
It means different things to different people
An elderly person may view their health and wellbeing as good if they can live independently and look after themselves.
Dimensions of Health
Dimension of Health | Definition |
Social health | Is the ability to form meaningful and satisfying relationships with others and the ability to manage or adapt appropriately to different social situations |
Physical health | Relates to the functioning of the body and its systems, it includes the physical capacity to perform daily activities or tasks |
Mental health | Relates to the state of a person’s mind or brain and the ability to think and process information |
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, guiding sense of meaning or value and reflection on your place in the world |
Emotional health | Relates to the ability to express emotions and feelings in a positive way |
Optimal physical health and wellbeing
Healthy body weight
Absence of illness, disease or injury
Optimal blood pressure
Optimal levels of energy
Appropriate levels of fitness
Physical capacity to perform daily tasks
Well functioning body, systems and organs
Optimal social health and wellbeing
Productive relationships with other people
Supportive and well - functioning family
Supportive network of friends
Ability to manage or adapt appropriately to different social situations
Effective communication with others
Optimal emotional health and wellbeing
Recognise and understand emotional actions and reactions
Effectively express and manage emotional actions and reactions
Experience appropriate emotions in given scenarios
Have a high level of resilience
Optimal mental health and wellbeing
Low levels of stress and anxiety
Optimal self esteem
Positive thought patterns
High levels of confidence
Use logic and reasoning to form opinions and make decisions
Optimal spiritual health and wellbeing
A sense of belonging and connection the world
Positive meaning, place and purpose in life
Peace and hope
Developed personal values and beliefs
Acting according to values and beliefs
Defining emotions
Are conscious mental reactions subjectively experiences as strong feelings usually directed towards a specific object
Emotions VS Feelings
Emotions | Feelings |
Sensations in the body | Generated thoughts about emotions |
Can manifest consciously or subconsciously | Experienced consciously |
Emotion wheel benefits
Improves emotional intelligence
Helps to identify the root causes of emotions
Shows how different emotions connect
Supports finding new ways to cope with emotions
How do you use the emotions wheel?
Use the emotions wheel when you want to explore the emotions you are feeling
Begin with more general emotions in the centre (e.g. sad)
Move towards the outer emotions and identify the specific emotions you are feeling.
Undestanding emotions
Emotion | Effects on your body (physiological) | Effects on your mind (psychological) |
Disgust | Covering sensory areas, nausea, vomiting/gagging | Avoidance of the trigger, revulsion |
Anger | Tense muscles, hot, sweating, grinding teeth | Unable to relax, easily irritated, overwhelmed |
Sadness | Tightness of chest, heaviness of limbs, watery eyes, headaches | Trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, crying, grumpy/irritable |
Happiness | Feeling light/uplifted, energetic, warm, grounded | Willingness to take life as it comes, satisfaction, gratitude, open to new ideas |
Fear | Cold, shortness of breath, sweating, rapid heart rate | Tense/nervous, difficulty concentrating, irritability, sleep disturbances |
Surprise | tingling skin, rigid muscles, heavy stomach, grasping items | Dependent on whether the trigger is positive or negative, disorientation |
Contempt | Eye rolls, upright posture so to “look down“ on others | Negative comparisons, dismissive, lack of respect, sarcasm/mockery, emotional disconnect |
Identifying emotions using facial cues
Emotion | Facial Cues |
Disgust |
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Anger |
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Sadness |
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Happiness |
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Fear |
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Surprise |
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Contempt | Tightened and raised lip corners on one side of the face
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Rejection
An emotion
To dismiss as inadequate, unacceptable or faulty
Cannot be controlled
The brain is sired to detect rejection as a way of protecting us from it
Impact on mental health
Stress and anxiety for the future
Self doubt
Low self esteem and self worth
self isolation
sadness and depression
anger
reliance on addictive substances
Managing rejection
While we cannot control rejection, we can control our response to it
Changing your perspective about a situation can help you manage rejection
ABCDE Model
Can be used to help address a variety of emotional difficulties, including responding to rejection
Activating event - or situation
the event your client faces, that triggers unwanted responses
Beliefs
The thoughts and beliefs you client holds about A
Consequences
The internal and external behaviour that result from B
Dispute
Challenging the beliefs and thoughts at B. Are they rational?
Exchange
Exchange old beliefs and thought for new rational, balanced ones
Failure
is a feeling
Is a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity
Can be controlled
Common causes of failure
Lack of supportive relationships
Low self esteem
Making comparison to others
poor self concept
Negative self concept
Negative self talk
Shame
Unrealistic expectations
Failure Mode
Failure can cause individuals to feel threatened
Some people will dismiss the value of the task, criticise the people involved or question the fairness of the situation faces.
Others may flee the failure by disengaging our attention
Embracing failure
Trying something new and having to recalibrate is an essential part of life
Failure is a normal part of the learning process
Reframing failure
Growing from failure requires more realistic thoughts about failure:
Failure is a sign that i’m challenging myself to do something difficult
I can handle failures
I can learn from my failures
Suppressing Emotions
People suppress emotions for many reasons, including
Told to do so by others
to conform
To avoid a feeling that may feel socially unacceptable
To replace an uncomfortable feeling with a more acceptable one
Past experiences may be too difficult to process
Effects of suppressing emotions
The continual suppression of emotions can have various detrimental effects:
Physiological | Psychological |
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Evaluate the consequences of suppressing emotions.
Through suppressing emotions, an individual may feel more accepted by others and able to avoid uncomfortable feelings. However, by suppressing emotions, a person may experience physical pain or psychological effects such as anxiety and depression. Therefore it is not recommended to suppress emotions.
Mindest
A habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations
The mindset you embrace and foster can impact how you:
Thank about situations
resppond to situation
Fixed Mindset
A mindset that people can dopt whereby they believe their intelligence, talents and personalities are fixed traits that innate and cannot grow
Features of fixed mindset
believe that talent and intellect is static and limited
have a desire for approval and achieving success
avoid challenge and the rick of failure or mistakes
resist seeking and embracing constructive feedback
view mistakes as an indicator of talent and intellect
stick to tasks and activities in which then can be successful
view effort as a reflection of lower ability and avoid embracing challenge
Growth mindest
A mindset that people can adopt whereby they believe their intelligence, talents and personalities are traits that can grow through efforts, challenge and feedback
Features of a growth mindset
Believe that learning and growth is possible in every area
have a desire for learning and trying new things
embrace challenge and rick to improve skills and knowledge
seek and embrace constructive feedback to pave next steps
acknowledge and reflect upon mistakes as a tool for improvement
explore new subjects and interests with openness and curiosity
Fixed mindset (Verbs: ‘resist‘ and ‘avoid‘) | Growth mindset (Verbs: ‘seek‘ and ‘acknowledge‘) | |
thinking | Feedback can be interpreted as a personal critique or judgment, leading individuals to feel threatened or demotivated | Feedback is seen a valuable tool for growth, providing insights into areas of improvement |
behaviour | Indivuals can resist feedback or dismiss it entirely, preventing growth and limiting their ability to refine their skills | Individuals actively seek feedback, acknowledge its value and use it constructively to improve their performance and understanding |
Feedback
Research suggests you can see the difference in a person’s mindset within their brain waves. People with both mindset answered questions and got feedback, whilst their brain waves were analysed
People with a fixed mindset were only interested when the feedback reflected on their ability but when they were presented with information that could help them learn, there was no sign of interest
Only people with a growth mindset paid close attention to information that could stretch their knowledge. Only for them was learning a priority.
Common thinking errors
Magnification and minimisation
Emotional reasoning
Overgeneralisation
Disqualifying the positive
Magical thinking
‘Should’ statements
All-or-nothing thinking
Jumping to conclusions
Personalisation
Magnification and minimisation
Refers to exaggerating or minimising the importance of events
believing your own achievements are unimportant
Believing your own mistakes are excessively important
You get a stain on your new shoes and think they’re ruined and can’t be word anymore
Overgeneralisation
Refers to making broad interpretations from a single or few events
“I felt akward during my job interview. I am always to awkward“
A person becoming upset when a bird poops on their car “birds are always pooping on my car“
Magical Thinking
The belief that thoughts, actions, or emotions influence unrelated situations
“If i hadn’t hoped something bad would happen to him, he wouldn’t have gotten into an accident.”
Personalisation
The belief that you are responsible for events outside your control
when your basketball team loses a game, you think it’s entirely your fault
My mom is always upset. She would be fine if I did more to help her
When a women receives a note that her child was having difficulties at school, she tells herself that this shows what a bad mother i am
Jumping to conclusions
Interpreting the meaning of a situation with little or no evidence
I bet no one will come to be birthday parts
I’m really going to blow it. What if I flunk?
People are looking at me. Hey probably think my shirt it ugly
Emma didn’t invite me to her party. I bet she thinks I’m weird
Emotional Reasoning
The assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are
I feel like a bad friend, therefore I must be a bad friend
I dont’ feel like doing this, so I’ll put it off
I feel ugly so I must be ugly
I feel terrified about going on airplanes. it must be very dangerous to fly
Disqualifying the Postitive
Recognising only the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive
You might receive many compliments, but only focus on the single piece of negative feedback.
A person might do a good job but will tell themselves that anyone could have done as well
You score two goals in your soccer game, but all you can think about is the shot you missed
“Should“ statements
The belief that things should be a certain way
I should always be perfect
She should just know what I want
I shouldn’t have made so many mistakes
I should always be happy. I should never be sad
All-or-nothing thinking
Thinking in absolutes such as “always“,”never” or ”every”
Looking at things in black and white categories
I never do a good enough job on anything
Stress
Is a psychological or physiological response produced by internal or external stressors
The stress response begins in the brain
Sress responses
Psychological responses to stress are divided into two categories
Emotional Changes | Cognitive Changes |
Influence the way a person feels | Influence a person’s mental abilities such as their perceptions, ability to learn and think |
Fight, Flight or Freeze response
Is a survival mechanism
Is an involuntary response
Triggered by a threatening, fearful or otherwise stressful situation
Whether we fight, flee or freeze depends on the situation and the proximity of the threat
Result in psychological changes produced by the sympathetic nervous system (part of the PNS) in readiness for
Fight: confronting and fighting off the threat
Flight: Escaping by running away to safety
Freeze: Keeping absolutely still and silent to avoid detection
During periods of intense stress (physical or psychological), the body enters a state of ‘Fight, flight or freeze‘
During the FFF response, feelings and emotions bypass prefrontal cortex (which rationalises these feelings)
Without the prefrontal cortex, we act reactively and can feel in less control of our feelings
In order to remain in control of emotions, we require a safe processing environment
Amygdala
Is a small part of the brain
Plays a number of roles within emotional control such as:
Processing aggression
Anxiety
Fear
If you see something that frightens you, your amygdala might tell your body to panic
Prefrontal cortex
Higher level functioning and processing
Planning, organising, initiating, self-monitoring
Thinking through responses to situations
Weighing up pros and cons
Planning responses
Thinking about consequences of actions
Reading body language and facial expressions
Is known to the higher order associating centre of the brain as it is responsible for:
Decision making
Reasoning
Personality expression
Maintaining social appropriateness
Other complex cognitive behaviours
The nervous system
Is divided into 2 main parts
Central Nervous system (CNS)
made up of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous system (PNS)
The network of nerves that runs throughout the head, neck and body
The Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system is further divided into two parts
Sympathetic Nervous System
Carries signal related to you “fight or flight“ response.
Increases heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and pupil size
Parasympathetic Nervous system
Relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger
Decreases hear rate, blood pressure, pupil size and increases digestive juices
Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
The reaction begins in you amygdala (Remember: The amygdala is responsible for perceived fear)
The amygdala response by sending signals to the hypothalamus
The hypothalamus stimulates the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
The ANS can activate either the:
a. Sympathetic Nervous System (drives the fight or flight response)
b. Parasympathetic nervous system (drives freezing)
Your reaction depends on which system dominates the response at the time
The fight, flight or freeze response (stress) can impact the brain and the body in so many ways
Emotional Dysregulation
Is an inability to control or regulate one’s emotional responses, which can lead to significant mood swings and significant changes in mood
When dysregulated a person may be operating outside of the window and cannot effectively manage or cope with their emotions
Hyperarousal
Also known as “fight or flight response“
Is an heightened state of activation/energy
Occurs when the nervous system kicks into high alert, even when danger is not present
A person may not feel in control over their actions
Symptoms: Angry outbursts, fear, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, hyper vigilance, “deer in the headlights“ freeze
Causes people to feel stuck “on“ which can make it difficult to form healthy sleeping habits, manage emotions and concentrate effectively
Physically, the body may seem tense and on the brink of explosion, which can eventually result in angry outbursts and hostility
Hypoarousal
Also know as “shutdown“ or “collapse“ response or Freeze
Like hyperarousal, it can be triggered by feeling threatened, recounting traumatic memories, or feeling emotions associated with past trauma
Symptoms: Numbness, emptiness, blank stare, inability to speak, dissociation
Is when a person has too little arousal as the result of an overloaded parasympathetic nervous system
Can impact a person’s sleep and eating habits, leaving them feeling emotionally numb, socially withdrawn and finding it difficult to express themselves
Grounding Strategies
Support individuals to focus on what’s going on around them instead of their thoughts
Allow a person to slow breathing, lower heart rate and allow the brain to process information
When distressed, the fight/flight response is activated, making it very difficult to think clearly
Grounding Strategy Benefits
Ground a person in the present moment and reorient them to their current reality
Stop rumination (e.g. repeitive thinking on negative thoughts/outcomes)
Keep you from ‘Spiralling‘
Manage intrusive thoughts
Reduce the intensity of distressing memories or flashbacks
Avoid and manage panic attacks
Resist urges to self-harm
Cope with chronic pain
Boost mood
Build resilience
Grounding strategies
Can be used anywhere, at any time and without others knowing
Box breathing
FInger tapping
5-4-3-2-1
Reorienting yourself
Mindful observation
Finding your feet
Body awareness
Imagine yourself somewhere safe
categories
Describe an activity
Mental exercises
Box breathing
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
exhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
repeat
Finger tapping
slowly tapping the tip of each finger against the tip of each thumb
5-4-3-2-1
What are 5 things that you can see right now?
What are 4 things you can touch right now?
What are 3 things that you can hear right now?
What are 2 things you can smell right now?
What is 1 things you can taste right now?
Reorienting yourself
Where am I right now?
What is the day today?
What is the date?
What is the month?
What is the year?
How old am I?
What season is it?
Mindful observation
Notice an object in you immediate surroundings
Notice is in detail - the shape, the colour, texture and function of the object
Spend at least two minutes observing the object in great detail
Slowly move your focus to another object and repeat the process
What do you notice about your body as you do this?
What do you notice about your thoughts as you do this?
Finding your feet
Place your two feet flat on your floor
Notice how your feet feel in your shoes
Can you feel the fabric of your socks? Can you feel the pressure of the your shoe on particular parts of your feet? Can you feel any sensations in your feet?
Wriggle your and notice how that feels throughout your foot
Imagine that you feet are connected to the ground
Notice how solid your feet are and how you are connected to the earth. Notice that you are strong and centred
Body Awareness
Take 5 long deep breaths through your nose
Place both fee flat on the floor, Wriggle your toes, Curl and uncurl your toes several times. Spend a moment noticing the sensations in your feet
Stomp your feet on the ground several times. pay attention to the sensation in your feet and legs as you make contact with the ground
Clench your hands into fists, the release the tension. Repeat this 10 times
Press your palms together. Press them harder and hold this pse for 15 seconds. Pay attention to the feelings of tension in your hand and arms
Rub your hands over your head like you’re trying to reach the sky. Stretch like this for at least 5 seconds. Bring you arms down and let them relax at your sides
Take 5 more breaths and notice the feeling of calm in your body
Imagine yourself somewhere safe
Imagine yourself in a safe, soothing, calm and comfortable space. This place might be real or imaginary
Imaging this place in as much detail as you can:
What does it look like?
What is around you?
What are sounds around you?
What is the temperature?
Are you sitting, standing or walking?
Notice how it feels to be completely calm and peaceful here. How does you body and mind change when you imagine being in this place?
Categories
Think of a category - e.g. animals, songs, musicians, famous people, cities, countries, cars, TV shows, sports, athletes, fruits, vegetables, books
Think of one things in the category for every letter of the alphabet - e.g. Animals: Aardvark, Bat, Cat, Dog, Elephant etc
Describe an Activity
Describe an everyday activity in great detail
E.g. to get to school, I walk to the train station. I leave the front door, closing it behind me and locking it with my key. I walk down my driveway and turn left down my street. At the corner, I turn right and walk past a playground
Mental Exercises
Examples
Count backwards from 100 by 7
Name all the objects you can see
Spell your full name and the names of three other people backwards
Name all of your family members, their ages and one of their favourite activities
Think of an object and draw it in your mind
Remember
Grounding works in different ways. which means what works for someone might not work for you and vice versa
Don’t be afraid to trial and find the right version that feels right for you
Ready to learn plan
Step 1: Identify your potential triggers
Step 2: Reflect on your behaviour and physical symptoms
Step 3: Identify strateies that will help you to relax and resume a healthy arousal state
Examples include: a conversation, listening to music, time out, grounding strategies, stroking textured items, seeing a support staff member
Emotional Coaching
Involve guiding someone during times of heightened emotions about more effective responses
Helps people to become more aware of their emotions and to manage their own feelings
Emotion Coaching Process
There are 5 steps of emotion coaching
Be aware of emotions
Connect with the person
Listen with empathy and validate
Label emotions
Find good solutions
Be aware of Emotions
Tune into the person’s feelings and your own
Understand that emotions are a nartural and valuable part of life
Observe, listen and learn how the person expresses different emotions
Watch for changes in facial expressions, body language, posture and tone of voice
Connect with the person
Use emotions moments as opportunities to connect
Try not to dismiss or avoid emotions
Recognise feelings and encourage the person to talk about their emotions
Avoid dismissing feelings
e.g. “It’s not that big of a deal.“ “You shouldn’t feel that way“ “Get over it.“ “That’s no reasons to be upset“
e.g.
I get mad when things don’t work out either
Let’s sit here for a moment. I’ll stay with you. It’s ok to feel ______
Listen with empathy and validate
Respect the person’s feelings by taking time to listen carefully
Show the person that you understand what they are feelings
Avoid unsolicited advice
Label Emotions
Help the person identify and name emotions
Identify the emotions the person is experiencing instead of telling the person how they should feel
e.g.
Tell me what you’re feeling
Find Good solutions
Explore solutions to problems together
Don’t expect too much too soon
Avoid fixing the problem on the person’s behalf
e.g. “I’ll fix it“ “I’ll talk to her“ “I’ll get you a new one“
Empathy
The actions of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another
Sympathy
Feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s fortune
Impact on thinking
Beliefs and values determines how you treat others and yourself (attitude) and how you approach any situation (behaviour)
Being aware of our thinking patterns can help us make more informed choices
Belief: Education can unlock a person’s potential and provide them with the tools to succeed in life, regardless of their background
Value: Lifelong learning
Attitude: Approaching education with a growth mindset. Challenges and mistakes are opportunities for learning and improvement
Behaviour: Actively seek out new learning opportunities, participate in discussions and consistently strive to improve my understanding.
Navigating differences
Throughout life, we have ample opportunities to navigate differences, including friends who have different values to us
Identify people’s values
Identify the values of the person
When you know what lies behind a conflict, you can quickly get to the heart of the problem and achieve a resolution
Get talking
When talking and actively listening to one another, individuals are more likely to understand and accept one another’s viewpoint
Be mindful that people’s view points aren’t necessarily right or wrong, just different
Even if someone’s values might seem illogical or mean, reserve judgement
Find common ground
Identify where the values of both individuals might overlap, rather than where they clash
aim to negotiate a win-win solution that accommodates both sets of values