What is Health?

What is Health?

by Leighton Piper

​Objectives

• ​Students will gain understanding of physical and mental health and wellbeing.

• Students will gain awareness of the stigma associated with mental health and mental illness

• Students will make the connection between stigma and reluctance to talk about mental illness

• Students will make the connection between stigma and reluctance to seek help for mental illness

• Students will gain awareness into their responses to the physical and mental needs of others.

​Vocabulary

​• Healthy: Being in good health.

• Helping Professional: A qualified professional who helps others with their mental wellbeing.

• Mental Distress: The emotional response to daily challenges that results in thoughts, feelings, and actions.

• Mental Health: A person’s emotional wellbeing that affects thoughts, feelings, and actions.

• Mental Health Problems: The stronger or more intense emotional response to greater life challenges.

​Vocabulary Continued

• Mental Illness: Extreme difficulty or changes in thoughts, feelings, and actions that lasts over time and interferes with daily activities. Mental illness is a medical condition that requires diagnosis and help from a qualified helping professional.

• Mental Wellbeing: Being able to handle the stressful and unexpected things that happen in daily life. Managing thoughts, feelings, and actions positively.

• Physical Health: The health or condition of your body.

• Physical Wellbeing: Physical wellbeing is more than just the health of your body. Physical wellbeing includes the lifestyle choices that promote and enhance physical wellness.

​Vocabulary Continued

• Stigma: A negative or disapproving attitude or belief that can cause people to avoid or fear something; usually a result of lack of knowledge or understanding.

• Unhealthy: Being in poor health.

Open Ended

What does health mean to you?

Open Ended

What does wellness mean to you?

Open Ended

What would you do?

Maggie is your close friend. She has been out of school for a few days. When she returns, her right leg is in cast and she is using crutches. Her backpack keeps falling off her shoulder and it looks like she is about to fall.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

How does this make you feel? How can you help?

Open Ended

Maggie is your close friend. She has been out of school for a few days. When she returns to school, she is quiet and avoids being around you and her other friends. You notice that she has been crying.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING: What will you do? How does this make you feel? Can you help?

​Closing

When looking at our health, it is important to know that it is very complex. Think of your body being like a car. The different parts of the car represent your physical, mental, and emotional health. If one part of your car is broken, it will not run its best. It is important to be healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.