Mental Health Matters
What is mental health?
A person's emotional, psychological, and social well-being
What does active listening mean?
Giving someone your attention and trying to understand what they're saying instead of simply waiting for your turn to talk.
What is stress?
The body's physical and emotional response to challenging or demanding situations.
What is emotional intelligence?
The ability to recognize, understand, manage, and respond appropriately to emotions.
Your friend texts you "K" after you ask them what's wrong. What should you do?
Don't immediately assume they're angry. Give them space or ask if they want to talk.
True or False: Having a mental health struggle automatically means someone is "crazy."
False.
Which is healthier?
A. "You never listen to me."
B. "I feel ignored when I'm talking and you're on your phone."
B.
True or False: All stress is bad.
False. Some stress can motivate us or help us respond to challenges.
What is self-awareness?
Recognizing your own emotions, thoughts, behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses.
Someone makes a joke about you in front of everyone. You're embarrassed and angry. What could you do before responding?
Pause, regulate your emotions, and decide whether/how you want to address it.
Name one reason someone might avoid asking for mental health support.
Stigma, embarrassment, fear of judgment, not knowing where to get help, etc.
Name one sign of unhealthy communication.
Yelling, insults, interrupting, threatening, refusing to listen, blaming, etc.
Name two healthy ways to manage stress.
Exercise, sleep, talking to someone, taking a break, breathing exercises, music, journaling, etc.
You're extremely angry during an argument. What is an example of emotional self-control?
Taking a pause before responding instead of immediately reacting.
Your friend tells you they're extremely stressed about school, work, and family. What would be a healthy way to support them?
Listen without judging and help connect them with appropriate support if needed.
If a friend says, "I've been feeling overwhelmed lately," what is one healthy response?
Listen, show concern, ask what they need, or encourage them to talk with a trusted adult/professional.
Your friend is angry with you. What's better: immediately arguing back or asking them what happened?
Asking what happened/listening first.
You have three assignments due tomorrow, you're exhausted, and you're becoming frustrated. What's a better first step: panic or prioritize?
Prioritize what needs to be done and break the work into manageable steps.
Your friend receives bad news and becomes quiet. You don't know exactly how they feel. What emotional-intelligence skill can help?
Empathy and asking/listening rather than assuming.
Two friends are arguing. Both believe they're right and neither will listen. What is one strategy that could help?
Take a break, allow each person to speak, use active listening, identify the actual problem, or find common ground.
A student has been isolating themselves, losing interest in things they normally enjoy, and struggling emotionally for several weeks. What should someone consider doing?
Encourage them to talk to a trusted adult or mental-health professional.
Someone says something disrespectful to you during an argument. What is one way you can respond without making the conflict worse?
Stay calm, set a boundary, walk away temporarily, or communicate your concern respectfully.
Someone uses substances, constantly lashes out at others, or isolates themselves whenever they're stressed. Why might these be considered unhealthy coping strategies?
They may temporarily distract from stress without addressing the underlying problem and can create additional problems.
What's the difference between reacting and responding?
Reacting is often immediate and emotional; responding involves taking a moment to think about how you want to handle the situation.
You notice your friend has been acting completely different lately. They're isolating themselves, seem overwhelmed, and say, "Nobody would care if I disappeared." What should you do?
Take the statement seriously, stay with them if appropriate, involve a trusted adult/professional, and seek immediate crisis support when necessary.