8TH GRADE

Mental and Emotional Health

STRESS-PROVOKING SCENARIOS

Review Step8.MEH.1.1Evaluate stress management

strategies based on personal experience.

Scenarios You do not need to copy the scenarios. You will read them out loud and discuss

them as a class.

Instructions Have a student read the following

scenarios aloud. Discuss as a class if the teens’ response

is appropriate for the situation or inappropriate.

If it is not useful, why not?

Scenario 1Tom worked very hard on a project for school. Danny waited until the last minute to do his project and then asked to copy from Tom. Danny implied that if Tom did not let him copy, Danny would no longer be his friend. Tom decides to allow Danny to copy his work.

Scenario 2Farah's teacher gave the class unclear directions about a project. Farah worked harder than most of her classmates on her project, only to find that she had done the project all wrong. Farah approaches her teacher and explains her confusion and asks for an opportunity to re-do the assignment.

Scenario 3Mike has grown up in the southern part of the United States. Recently, he moved to the northern part of the country. Some students make fun of the way Mike talks. Mike decides to tell students that they sound different to him, as well, but he bets they have more in common than they might think. He asks if anyone wants to go to the skate park after school.

Scenario 4Molly's parents are getting divorced and she feels overwhelmed and unable to think. She knows that her mom has some medicine in the bathroom that she sometimes takes for her “nerves”. Molly decides to take one to help her anxiety.

Scenario 5Sally invites Ann to go shopping. When they get to the store, Sally finds she has enough money to buy clothes, but not enough to buy a pair of earrings she wants. She asks Ann to slip the earrings in her pocket while she pays for the clothes. Ann thinks stealing is wrong, but she really wants to be friends with Sally. Ann drops the earrings in her backpack and walks out of the store.

Scenario 6Owen feels overwhelmed with all of the stuff he needs to everyday. He loves to play his guitar, he likes school (especially his Visual Arts class)and wants to do well. He also enjoys playing sports and walking dogs at the local animal shelter. Owen decides to create a “Things To Do Today/Week List” to help prioritize all of his activities.

Scenario 7

Kim is preparing to give a speech tomorrow. She is nervous and fidgety and is afraid she won't be able to sleep. She decides to ask her mom if she can practice on her when she is finished writing her speech, then do the progressive muscular exercises she was taught in school.

Scenario 8Allen believes a friend of his is depressed, maybe even thinking about suicide. Allen decides to tell his friend that he is worried about her and persuades her to speak with their teacher.

Copy ALL the following notes Mental health - The way people think

about and respond to events in their daily lives.

Emotion – a feeling produced in response to a life event.

Emotional health – the way a person experiences and deals with feelings

Review Continued Hormones – chemicals that helps

control how the body grows and functions.

Emotional spectrum – a set of emotions arranged by how pleasant they are.

Triggers – situations, people and events that cause a person to feel an emotion.

Emotional Spectrum Activity List some POSITIVE emotions List some NEGATIVE emotions Create a emotional spectrum (like the

one below) using three of the positive emotions and three of the negative emotions.

See page 78 for example

Physical Responses Caused by Emotions Fear- increased heart and breathing

rates, sweating, trembling, dry mouth, hot flashes or chills, dilated pupils

Anger- increased heart rate and blood pressure, pacing or agitation, red face, hot flashes, trembling, or muscle tension

Sadness- poor energy or fatigue, difficulty concentrating, crying

Physical responses caused by emotions continued… Happiness- laughter, more energy, lower

blood pressure and heart rate Love- symptoms of fear and happiness,

“butterflies” in the stomach, preoccupation with loved one

Emotions ALL emotions – even unpleasant ones – can

be a healthy part of life. Expressing emotions in healthy ways allows

you to communicate them to other people. Emotions can be expressed without words.

Emotions continued Body Language – is expressing

emotions with the face, hands, and posture.

Active Listening – is not only hearing but also showing that you understand what a person is saying.

Self esteem – a measure of how much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself.

Worksheet Complete the worksheet. You may use your book and notes to

complete the worksheet. Do not work with other students. This is a grade.

TIME MANAGEMENT

DAY 28.MEH.1.2 Design a plan to prevent stressors or manage the effects of stress.

Time Management Time management refers to a

range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals.

or... What will I do and how will I do it?

Why learn time management? Poor time management = stress

Common Road blocks:The idea that time is adjustable rather than

fixedIdea that time management techniques don’t

workCrisis management rather than time

management (“But I work better under pressure.”)

Think, Pair, Share How is decision-making

relevant to time management? Why is time management

necessary for reaching your short-term goals?

Why are short-term goals necessary for reaching your long-term goals?

Time Management Techniques

Prioritization Time

Mapping

Prioritization: A, B, C Rank Order Brainstorm a “To Do” list of everything you need

to accomplish in one week (or month, or year). depending upon short- or long-term goals

Assign an A to all of the things that must get done as soon as possible.

Assign a C to all of the things you would like to do but are not essential.

Assign a B to everything else. Rewrite your “To Do” List in the new order (A

items, B items, C items), then complete these tasks in that order.

Time Mapping Make a “To Do” list of all things you need to complete in

a week, and all things you would like to complete in a week.

Assign a color to common tasks, for example: Blue = time in schoolOrange = school workGreen = afterschool activitiesYellow = workPurple = family time

Using a weekly calendar with hour segments of time, list the activity that needs to be completed in the block(s) and color-code each activity.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Time Sinks The things that take up more time than you

anticipate and get you behind schedule What are some common “Time Sinks” that

you deal with?

Hint: this might be one!

DEFENSE MECHANISMS

DAY 3

Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms are behaviors that an individual might use to cope with an uncomfortable situation or problem.

Compensation A person tries to make up for

his/ her weaknesses by developing strengths in other areas.

Example – A struggling student with a learning disability becomes a leader in the art club.

Harmful – Not trying to overcome the weakness.

Daydreaming A person escapes unpleasant, boring,

or frustrating situations by imagining that he or she is doing something else.

Example – A shy student imagines that he/she is homecoming king/queen.

Harmful – Refusal to accept reality and spending too much time in an imaginary world.

Denial Refusal to accept reality.

Example – A student finds out that a relative has a terminal disease. The student continues to act as though the relative is going to live.

Harmful – Continual inability to accept a situation long after it has occurred.

Displacement A person transfers the emotions

he or she feels from the original situation or object to another situation or object.

Example – A student is angry with a parent but yells at his/her brother or sister.

Harmful – Continuously taking anger out on an innocent person.

Humor A person focuses on the funny

aspects of a painful situation.

Example - A person is called a bad name and then refers to himself by that name to deflect the teasing.

Harmful – Person is accepting a social injustice. Name-calling should not be tolerated.

Identification A person tries to assume the

qualities of someone that is admired.

Example - A students wants to be like a famous person so they begin to dress and act like that person.

Harmful – Measuring own worth to someone else’s standards instead of developing one’s own strengths.

Projection A person shifts the blame

and/or responsibility for his/her actions or thoughts to another person.

Example – A student does poorly on a test and says that the teacher wrote an unfair test.

Harmful – Refusal to accept responsibility for actions.

Rationalization An attempt to justify one’s

actions with an excuse rather than by admitting one’s failure or mistake.

Example – A student justifies flunking a test because he/she was absent the day it was scheduled. [Or, the dog ate his homework!]

Harmful - Refusal to accept responsibility for actions.

Regression Retreating to an earlier time that seems

less threatening and requires less responsibility.

Example – A student has trouble fitting in at middle school so he/she returns and visits their elementary school, thinking that it would be nice to stay there.

Harmful – Refusal to move on and mature within a reasonable amount of time.

Repression

Blocking out thoughts about unpleasant things or experiences. Repression is actually an unconscious method of escaping something unpleasant.

Example – A woman is raped, she pushes the thought out of her mind, she doesn’t even think it happened.

Harmful – Inability to recognize what has happened, especially if she needs to receive help.

Sublimation Transforming unacceptable behaviors into acceptable

ones. Sublimation can involve redirecting specific behaviors.

Example – A student likes to get into arguments, so he/she decides to join the debate team.

Harmful – Inability to recognize the need to change unacceptable behaviors into acceptable ones.

Suppression The effort to hide and control

unacceptable thoughts and feelings.

Example – A student is attracted to someone, but he/she says that they do not like the person at all.

Harmful – Inability to let true feeling show.

RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF

HURTING SELF OR OTHERS

What Do You Think? How is a two-year-old (who falls in the

middle of a pool and is drowning) like a teenager who is depressed or suicidal?Both need someone to help them or they will die.Both do not have the skills they need to help

themselves.As the child goes deeper into the water, so does

the teenager get deeper into their depression.Both can be prevented.Both need professional help.

Source: Deb Tackman, Outrageous Teaching Techniques in Health Education

2011 NC Youth Risk Behavior Survey Suicide is the third leading cause of death for

teens Of students in grades 6 -8:

24% of students who felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities during the past 12 months.

20.8 % seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year

13.1 % made a plan about how they would attempt suicide during the past 12 months

9.5 % reported attempting suicide

Same risk and protective factors for suicide and other problem behaviors such as drugs, violence, risky sexual behavior

2011 NC Youth Risk Behavior Survey Suicide is the third leading cause of death for teens Of students in grades 9-12:

28.3% of students who felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities during the past 12 months.

14.3% seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year

13.5% made a plan about how they would attempt suicide during the past 12 months

5.0% reported attempting suicide

Same risk and protective factors for suicide and other problem behaviors such as drugs, violence, risky sexual behavior

Depression Depression is more than the “blues” or the

“blahs.” It is more than the normal everyday ups and downs.

Clinical depression is a medical condition. It is when feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and despair persist and interfere with a person’s ability to function.

Many adults and teenagers do not recognize the symptoms of depression in themselves or others.

Depression Depression affects people of all ages. It will affect more than 19 million people

every year. Some people experience only one episode of

depression in their entire life, but others may have several episodes of depression.

Depression can begin suddenly for no apparent reason, while others can be associated with a life situation.

Warning Signs of Suicide• Insomnia• Change in eating

patterns, either overeating or not eating

• Daytime sleepiness• Aggressive or

destructive behavior• Risk-taking behavior• Difficulty concentrating

• Loss of interest in activities one used to enjoy

• Decline in school performance, skipping class, dropping out of activities

• Withdrawal from relationships with friends and family

Warning Signs of Suicide• Isolation• Fatigue or lack of

energy• Feelings of

worthlessness, hopelessness, excessive guilt feelings

• Trouble concentrating• Beginning to use

alcohol or drugs

Changes in personality or behavior

Frequent thoughts of death

Death themes in artwork or written work

Apathy

Warning Signs of Suicide Statements such as

“I wish I were dead” or “No one cares”

Planning a suicide attempt or a previous attempt

Giving away prized possessions

A sudden lift in spirits because he or she feels the problem will soon end

Self – Hurting Behaviors Self-injury is the act

of deliberately destroying body tissue, at times to change a way of feeling.

It is an intentional act, repetitive, and results in minor to moderate harm without the intent to cause death.

Self-injury often occurs in secret – person hides the self-injury from others.

Self - Hurting Behaviors Cutting Burning Pin-Sticking Carving Scratching Branding Marking Head-banging

Picking and pulling skin and hair

Abrasions (scrapes of bruises

Biting Hitting Breaking bones Tattooing Excessive body

piercing

Why Do They Hurt Themselves?

To escape from emotional pain, such as anger or anxiety

To release tension To physically express

pain To express feelings of

emptiness, loneliness, helplessness

 

An attempt to feel/be more in control

To protect themselves from pain

Not understood by others

To induce a pleasure state from the endorphins that are released

SIGNS OF SELF - INJURY Frequent or

unexplained scars, cuts, bruises, and burns (often on the arms, thighs, abdomen)

Consistent, inappropriate use of clothing to cover scars

General signs of depression

Secretive behavior, spending unusual amounts of time in the bathroom or other isolated areas

Social or emotional isolation and disconnectedness

Substance abuse

SIGNS OF SELF - INJURY Possession of sharp

instruments, (razor blades, thumb tacks, pins)

Indications of extreme anger, sadness, or pain

Images of physical harm in class or creative work

Extreme risk-taking behaviors that could result in injuries

Getting Help

Giving Help Let him or her know that you care and want

to help. Acknowledge that your friend has a problem

and that the symptoms are serious. Ask about suicide.

Convince your friend to ask for help. This may include your talking to a trusted adult.

Warning Signs and Ways to Help

Warning Signs Decline in school

performance Skipping class Dropping out of activities Aggressive or destructive

behavior Insomnia Daytime sleepiness Difficulty concentrating

Warning Signs

Lack of energy Changes in eating patterns, either over-

eating or not eating Withdrawal from relationships with

friends and family Isolation Feelings of worthlessness, excessive

guilt

Warning Signs

Risk taking behavior Changes in personality or behavior Beginning to use alcohol or other drugs Giving away prized possessions Statements, such as “I wish I were dead” or “No

one cares”

Warning Signs

Loss of interest in everyday activities, even things they enjoy doing

Apathy Death themes in artwork or

written work Planning a suicide attempt or a

previous attempt A sudden lift of spirits because

they feel their problems will soon end

Ways to Help

Take any signs or verbal statements seriously.

Listen to the person and show him or her that you care.

Don’t leave the person alone.

Ways to Help

Build a network of support: Friends Family members Counselors Teachers Faith leaderHealth care provider

Ways to Help

Call a suicide hotline number. Check your local telephone book for a local hotline number.

Get professional help. Seek out local agencies that

could provide professional counseling services.

Seek a trusted adult.