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A fresh take on lessons for a healthy life.
Mind + Emotions Outline
The 3 C's: Choices, Coping and Communication
What we think will have a direct impact on how we feel. Students will participate in practical activities to gain healthy coping skills.
The Plugged-In Lifestyle- What are the consequences?
Addiction is not just for alcohol and drugs. Research is showing that many youth of today are addicted to screens. Students will learn the science behind it, and develop strategies to avoid it.
Managing Stress + Speaking Up About Depression
Ignoring the problem or checking out by scrolling our feeds is not managing stress. It is just covering it up. Students will gain a better understanding of the risks factors and protective factors associated with managing stress.
Mind Management: Addressing the Toxic Thoughts
People are struggling with negative or intrusive thoughts. In fact, 90% of people deal with them. Your child will become aware of toxic thoughts, see where they step from, and learn to replace them to heal the brain.
Words: The Impact of Our Voice
You can change your brain by changing your words. Students will learn the science of the mind-brain connection. They will also be equipped through activities to have a healthy thought life.
Sample Lesson
Benefits and Risks: Right Key vs. Wrong Keys
You may think, “There is no way I can make a change from eating junk food after a stressful day. It’s just what I do.” Unfortunately, you could be putting yourself at risk for poor mental and emotional health. Just like having a healthy body takes some planning and effort with healthy food and exercise, you will have to put some effort into protecting your mental health and avoiding risks. We will first review some of the common wrong keys and break down the risks they present.
- Eating (especially comfort food): High calorie foods taste good, but they also release more brain chemicals. In particular, the ‘feel good’ hormone dopamine which has the risk of leading to addiction.
- Texting friends: Connecting and keeping accountable is good. But does the thought of your texts and what will that person think, or what will this person say consume your mind? You need balance. You also want to avoid the risk of serious emotional dependency.
- Exposure to pornography or sex: Almost all of the 90% of kids (8-16) who have seen online porn, came across it accidentally. The wrong click. Being exposed to a sexual desire at a young age carries serious risk. While friends may say it’s no big deal, and can help destress, the truth is that it can lead to dopamine addiction and other mental health problems. Exposure to porn can also lead to an early sexual debut. An Ad Health Study reports that teen girls who have sex are 3x more likely to commit suicide. And teen boys who have sax are 7x more likely to commit suicide. Using this key to cover up stress can be deadly.
Now, let’s review some of the right keys and break down the protective factors they present.
- Talk about it: We covered at length the benefits to having an accountability partner. Talking through the stressful moments from school assignments or challenges with friends is necessary for emotional health.
- Exercise: Many people can think they are too tired to exercise. Then they commonly find it difficult to fall asleep easily because of their mind racing when they get in bed. Regular exercise (30 min, 3-5 days per week) is an excellent way to destress in the moment, and it helps with keeping a better sleep cycle. People who sleep well manage stress well.
- Prayer and meditation on encouraging words: Our last chapter will go into detail about words impacting our lives. For now, understand the importance of recognizing negative words and replacing them with positive words. Some students might be stressed about an upcoming test and say, “This chapter is so hard. I’m probably not even able to get a C, so I don’t know why I’m going to try.” Acknowledge the negative words and then say, “Studying for this test is hard. I need to slow down and have some quiet time. I know that it’s helped me do hard things before. I can do hard things again and give my best.”
Different keys to protect the brain.
It will take intentional practice to manage stress in healthy ways. Practicing use of several keys won’t leave you feeling stuck if one of those habits or paths isn't an option.
Every time you choose one of the healthy keys to manage stress instead of covering it up, it will be like the methodical process of creating that pathway or groove in your brain. Your next activity is a fun way to model creating that pathway.