Mental Health 101
This is the official term for an extreme fear of something, like spiders or heights.
What is a phobia?
True or False: It's a sign of weakness to ask for help when you're feeling overwhelmed.
What is false? (it's a sign of strength)
Name two types of self-care activities: one that is physical and one that is emotional.
What is (exercise/sleep/nutrition) and (journaling/listening to music/talking to a friend)?
The feeling you get when you are worried about something that might happen, like a test or a big game.
What is anxiety?
A healthy way to handle your feelings, like talking to a parent or listening to music, is called this.
What is a coping skill?
True or False: Mental health only refers to serious, lifelong conditions.
What is false? (it also refers to everyday stress and feelings)
This is the minimum recommended amount of sleep, in hours, for teens each night.
What is 8-10 hours?
If you've been feeling down, lonely, or not interested in anything for many days, you might be experiencing this emotion.
What is sadness or depression?
A professional who can prescribe medication for mental health conditions is this type of doctor.
What is a psychiatrist?
True or False: A person with depression can usually just "snap out of it" if they try hard enough.
What is false? (it's a medical condition that needs treatment and support)
This is when we decide when or how we interact with other people.
What is setting boundaries?
This is another feeling that is similar to anger.
What is feeling frustrated, irritable, or annoyed?
Taking a few minutes to just breathe and notice what you see, hear, and smell in the present moment is a simple way to practice this skill.
What is mindfulness?
True or False: even uncomfortable or "negative" emotions are important for us to experience.
What is true? (uncomfortable emotions can help us, such as fear alerting us to danger)
A negative, unhelpful, and sometimes inaccurate thought we might have automatically.
What is an automatic negative thought, thinking trap, or cognitive distortion?
This is a stress reaction where our bodies want to either jump into action or run away.
What is "fight or flight"?
When you tell a trusted adult about a problem, this is a key reason they keep it a secret, unless someone is in danger.
What is confidentiality?
True or False: talking about emotions is useless.
What is false? (Talking about and processing our feelings helps us makes sense of what we're going through)
A relaxation technique where you tense and relax different muscle groups in the body, one after another.
What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)?
This is an example of a physical reaction to a strong emotion, or the way you feel certain emotions in your body.
What is increased heart rate when stressed? What is butterflies in your stomach when excited? What is tensed muscles when angry?