Personal Development-Grade 11

Alternative Delivery Mode

Quarter 1- Module 4: Mental Health, Well-being and Emotional Intelligence in Middle and
Late Adolescence

Lesson 1: Mental Health and Well-Being in Middle and Late Adolescence

By raising awareness on mental health, people, especially adolescents, will know how to
evaluate and analyze the way they think and the judgment they make. Issues on mental health
have been prevalent in the present times and its impact is escalating negatively towards the
overall health stability of the people. Through mental health awareness, one will be able to
know how to manage his problems and stress through proper treatment and assistance.
General knowledge about mental health is very vital for each person to know.

Concept of Mental Health and Well-being in Middle and Late

Adolescence
Mental health is an important thing to talk about, but sometimes people feel
uncomfortable to start discussing it. It is an important subject. However, as an increase in
societal mental health awareness can have positive outcomes, people who are mentally
healthy are generally happy and confident about their lives.
They accept and deal with their problems realistically, recognize and accept their
weakness, have good relationship with others, understand themselves, and try to have a
decent life. Mental health deals with both the emotional and psychological conditions of a
person.
If you have good mental well-being (or good mental health), you are able to:
• feel cooperatively confident in yourself – you accept and worth yourself and
decide yourself on realistic and reasonable standards
• live and work profitably
• cope with the stresses of everyday life and manage times of change and
uncertainty.
• feel engaged with the world around you – you are able to build and maintain
positive relationships with other people and feel you can contribute to the
community you live in
• sense of well-being and satisfaction
• ability to enjoy life, to laugh, and to have more fun
• ability to deal with life’s stresses and to bounce back from adversity
Mental health is a positive concept related to the social and emotional wellbeing of
individuals and communities. Having good mental health, or being mentally healthy, is more
than just the absence of illness, rather it’s a state of overall wellbeing.
1. Department of Education, Republic of the Philippines, Personal Development Reader 1 st
edition, Change Your Mind About Mental Health(Quezon City: Sunshine Interlinks Publishing
House Inc., 2016), 45.

Three Components of Mental Health

1. Emotional well-being- includes happiness, interest in life, and satisfaction.
2. Psychological well-being includes liking most parts of one's own personality, being good
at managing the responsibilities of daily life, having good relationships with others, and
being satisfied with one's own life
3. Social well-being refers to positive functioning and involves having something to
contribute to society (social contribution), feeling part of a community (social
integration), believing that society is becoming a better place for all people (social
actualization), and that the way society works makes sense to them (social coherence).
 A lot of individuals pay attention of their physical health before they feel unwell. They
may eat properly, exercise and try to get enough sleep to help maintain wellness. You can take
the identical approach to mental health. Same as you may work to stay your body fitness, you
can also work to stay your mind healthy.

Challenges to Mental and Well-Being

No one has a good mental health all the time, however ongoing problems can take a
real toll on our well-being.
Your mental health can affect some areas of your life:
• Work, school, or home life
• Relationships with other
• Sleep
• Appetite
• Energy levels
• Capacity to think clearly or make decisions in life
• Physical health
• Life satisfaction and more...
If you experience low mental wellbeing over a long period of time, you are more likely to
develop a mental health problem.

What is mental illness?

A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks,
behaves, and interacts with other people. It is diagnosed according to standardized criteria.
Eating disorder
- Is an illness that are characterized by irregular eating habits and stress
concern about size.
- Can develop throughout any stage in life but typically appear during teen
years or adulthood. Normally co-exist with different conditions such as
anxiety, depression, etc.
1. Anorexia
People with anorexia have a true worry of weight gain and a distorted read of their
body size and form. As a result, they eat very little and can become dangerously
underweight. Although the disorder most often begins throughout adolescence, an
increasing number of children and older adults are also being diagnosed with
anorexia. You cannot judge if a person is struggling with anorexia by looking at him.
A person does not need to be emaciated or underweight to be struggling.
2. Bulimia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized
by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as eating uncontrollably by
purging and vomiting or using laxatives in an attempt to losing weight.
3. Binge eating disorder is a severe, life-threatening but treatable eating disorder
characterized by the consumption of large quantities of food in a short period of time; a
feeling of a loss of control or unable to stop when eating; experiencing embarrassment
which results stress and anxiety; and not regularly using healthy compensatory
measures to counter the binge eating.

Good Physical Health Is Good for Mental Health

One’s physical health is also an important issue to good mental health. Sleep and
nutrition, as an example, should be given importance and properly determined by an
adolescent whose tendency is to get these things for approved. An individual who is poor of
sleep, for example, will be aggressive, will have a short temper, will sometimes become
emotionally responsive, and will also have bad memory. Physically, the individual may develop
skin rashes or acne, have gloomy circles around the eyes, causes overeating and increases
susceptibility to illnesses.
Ten Things You Can Do for Your Mental Health
1. Value yourself:
Take care of yourself with kindness and respect, and stay away from selfcriticism. Make
time for your hobbies and favorite stuff, or broaden your horizons. Do recreational activities,
plant a garden, take dance lessons, learn to play an instrument.
2. Take care of your body:
Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health. Be sure to:
• Eat nutritious food
• Avoid vices
• Drink ample of water
• Exercise everyday
• Have enough sleep
3. Surround yourself with good people:
People with strong family foundation or social connections are generally healthier than
those who lack a support network. Make plans with supportive family members and friends, or
seek out enjoyable activities where you can get together or meet new persons, such as a club,
class or support group.
4. Give yourself:
Giving your time and energy free to help and accompanied someone else. You will feel
good about doing something real to help someone really in need — and it's a wonderful way to
meet new persons, and the best feelings you may experience.
5. Learn how to deal with stress:
Whether you like it or not, stress is a part of life, and its natural feelings. Practice good
coping skills: do sport like swimming, exercise, take a nature walk, play with your pet or try
journal writing as a stress reducer. Also, remember to smile and see the beauty in life.
Research shows that laughter is the best medicine, can boost your immune system, relieve
pain, relax your body and trim down stress.
6. Quiet your mind:
Recreational activities and prayer can improve your state of mind and viewpoint on life.
Indeed, research shows that meditation will help you feel calm, comfortable and improve the
effects of therapy.
7. Set realistic goals:
Plan what you want in life to accomplish academically, professionally and personally,
and note down the steps you need to realize or achieve your goals. Moreover, aim high, but be
realistic and don't over-schedule. You will enjoy a marvellous sense of accomplishment and
self-image as you see the progress toward your ambition.
8. Break up the monotony:
Sometimes our daily routines make us more competent and develop our feelings of
security and safety, a slight change of tempo can brighten a boring schedule. Change your
jogging direction, plan a road-trip in beautiful scenery, take a walk in a different park, hang
some new pictures or try a newly open restaurant.
9. Avoid alcohol and other drugs:
If possible do not use or keep alcohol, and stay away from other dangerous drugs.
Sometimes people may use alcohol and other drugs to self-medicate but in reality, alcohol, and
other drugs only make worse problems in life.
10. Get help when you need it:
Finding help is a sign of strength but not a weakness. And it is significant to remember
that treatment is valuable. Persons who have proper care can easily recover from mental
illness and addiction and lead full, worthwhile lives.
 Lesson 2: Emotional Intelligence in Middle and Late Adolescence
Emotions are basically part of our feelings. Thus, emotional awareness is able to
recognize the emotions that you experience, understand the feelings associated with it, and
understand what you think and do as a result.

Emotional Intelligence: Before we explain the meaning of the word EQ, let us define
first the terms emotion and intelligence.
Emotion is any disturbance of mind, feeling, passion, any excited psychological state.
However, emotional intelligence will be defined as the ability of an individual to command
respect by building relationships or the power to urge.
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability of an individual to manage and control his or
her emotions. It possesses the ability to control the emotions of others thus influencing other
people’s feelings.
The benefits of emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, use, understand, and
manage emotions in an effective and constructive way. A high EQ helps individuals to
communicate better, decrease their anxiety and stress, defuse conflicts, improve relationships,
empathize with others, and effectively conquer life’s challenges. Our emotional intelligence
affects the value of our lives because it influences our behavior and relationships.

Good leader shows their Emotional Intelligence by exhibiting all five of its key
components:
1. Self-awareness: Exhibited by self-confidence, realistic self assessment and self offensive
sense of humor. Most people with high Emotional Intelligence perceive their emotions and that
they don’t let their feelings rule them. They understand their strengths and weaknesses, and
they work on these areas so they can perform better. Also, can cope with their feelings simply.
2. Self-Management: Exhibited by credibility and truthfulness, comfort with uncertainty and
honesty to change. This is the capability to control emotions and impulses. Persons who self-
control typically don’t allow themselves to become too irritated or jealous, and they don’t make
spontaneous, careless decisions. They really think before they do something.
3. Self-Motivation: Exhibited by a strong force to realize optimism, and high organizational
commitment. Persons with a high emotional intelligence are willing to postpone immediate
results for long-term success. They are highly creative, love a challenge, and are successful in
whatever they do.
4. Empathy: Exhibited by know-how in structuring and retaining talents, and crosscultural
sensitivity and check to clients and customers. This is the ability to recognize with and
understand the needs desires, and viewpoints of those around you. Empathetic persons avoid
stereotyping and judging too promptly, and they live their lives in an open, and honest way.
5. Social Skill: Exhibited by the capacity to lead change efforts, expressiveness, and skill in
building and leading teams. Persons with strong social skills are naturally team players. Rather
than center on their own victory, they help others to build up and excel. They can manage
disputes, are outstanding communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining
relationships.
Emotional intelligence sometimes refers to EQ and EI are equally necessary to balance
leadership. Thus, it is one of the most important attributes of an excellent leader. Emotional
intelligence is a range in which everyone can be taught and get better.

Increase Your Emotional Intelligence through Self-Management

Here are a few coaching tips that can help improve your emotional or behavioral self-
control.
1. Remain aware of feelings. Giving attention to how you feel in a minute is the first step to more
efficient self-management of your behavior.
2. Keep a journal. Make a list of situations or events in your life that “trigger” negative emotions,
such as anger or frustration. Then write out a strategy to deal with these situations in a positive
 and effective manner. Review and analyze these strategies regularly so you’re prepared to put
them into practice.
3. Pay attention to “self talk.” Ask yourself what it looks and feels like to be under control,
paying attention and poised. Repeat this consciously each day and it’s likely your “talk” will
become your habitual “action.”
4. Remember, you have a choice. You have the capability to decide your response to any
situation. You can choose to “fly off the handle” in stressful situations, or you can choose to
remain peaceful.
The eight basic emotions are:
• Fear → feeling of being afraid, frightened, or scared.
• Anger → feeling angry.
• Sadness → feeling sad. Other words are sorrow, grief (a stronger feeling, for example
when someone has died)
• Joy → feeling happy.
• Disgust → feeling something is wrong or nasty.
• Surprise → being unprepared for something.
• Trust → a positive emotion; admiration is stronger; acceptance is weaker.
• Anticipation → in the sense of looking forward positively to something which is going to
happen. Expectation is more neutral.