Health & Wellness

Self-Esteem

Here we are going to talk about self-esteem. To get started, let's look at the following scenarios of a person applying for a job.

Jamie applied for a job. She was not sure that she was going to get the job. she believed that the other applicants were better and more qualified than her. Her mind was filled with doubts about her abilities and she was anxious about the job interview. She felt sure she would be rejected. On the day of the interview she accidentally slept in, and to her horror she discovered that the dress she had planned to wear was dirty, ad her other dress needed ironing. As it was already getting late, she went to the interview with a wrinkled dress. During the interview she was tense, uncertain about her responses, worried about her dress, and felt hungry because she did not have enough time to eat breakfast. She found it difficult to stay focused on the interview and had to ask the interviewer to repeat several questions.
Priya applied for the same job. She felt confident that she was a good candidate for the job. During the week preceding the interview she often imagined herself in the interview. On the evening before the interview she prepared the clothes she was going to wear, and went to sleep a little earlier. On the day of the interview she woke up earlier than usual to ensure she had ample time to eat breakfast and arrive for the interview before the scheduled time. During the interview she felt relaxed and confident because she had rehearsed her responses ahead of time. She remained focused on the interviewer and the questions that were being asked. She smiled and appeared to have a good time in the interview.

Jamie and Priya were equally qualified for the job. Who would you select for the job and why? (Think about your answer).

What did you learn from these two stories? What do you think were issues that related to each person's self-esteem? Can you identify some behaviours that contributed to each person's outcome related to the job application and interview?

It is easier to feel good about ourselves and create constructive visions and situations that help us realize our goals when attitudes are positive. A person's self-esteem will often determine the degree to which we approach situations confidently and positively.

Self-esteem is feeling good about yourself, knowing your good points, being satisfied with yourself, forgiving yourself, and seeing yourself in positive ways. It is doing the best for yourself, taking risks, accepting failure, and learning from your mistakes.

Here are some things you can do to improve your own self-esteem

Set achievable and realistic goals and work to accomplish them. For example, you created a set of goals as part of your Physical Activity Plan. When you achieve your goals, celebrate and get others to celebrate with you.
Accept compliments. Just say, "thank you" and smile. Often people do not expect this response and what feels like an awkward pause may follow. Just enjoy the silence. Try this today.
Eat well. If you find yourself getting anxious and irritable your diet may be a contributing factor. Good nutrition feeds the body and the mind.
Exercise. Walk and talk with a neighbour, ride your bike instead of taking the bus. Shovel the walk, rake the leaves or go for a jog. you will look and feel better as you increase your level of physical activity.
At the end of each day, ask yourself: What did I try that I have never tried before? What can I do better today? Who are the people I have helped? Did I thank the people that helped me? If you answers are "no one" or "nothing", change one of them tomorrow.

You may be able to think of other things that you have done that made you feel good about yourself.

Personal Attributes
A thorough self-assessment is the first step in reviewing or figuring out your personal attributes. The knowledge you gain from your self-assessment can assist you in developing a plan to improve your confidence and self-esteem. The intent of the following activity is to focus on your positive qualities and attributes. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The activity below is designed for you to assess the frequency with which you display the stated personal attributes and identify areas of strength and the areas that can benefit from some attention.

Download and complete the 'Rating Personal Attributes' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Decision Making

The DECIDE model is used to assist you in making healthy decisions:

D: Define the topic or problem/issue
E: Explore the alternatives or options (What are your choices?)
C: Check alternatives (List pros and cons for each alternative/option)
I:Identify possible solutions (Pick the best choice)
D: Decide and take action (Make the best choice)
E: Evaluate and revise

Download and complete the 'Evaluate Past Decisions' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Influences on Decision Making
There are many factors that influence the decisions we make. It is important to be aware of these influences because they can be both positive and/or negative.

Many cultures, races, and religions will influence decision-making because of the values and beliefs associated them. Other factors such as a person's financial situation, the environment, peer group, and the media also come into play and will have varying degrees of influence on a person's decisions.

In this rapidly changing world, youth need to be equipped with skills to guide and assist them as they make decisions. Young people make lifestyle choices that impact their futures and the future of society. Youth who make decisions to engage in risky behaviour can negatively affect themselves and society in general. Making informed decisions not only assists youth in resisting pressure to engage in risky behaviours, but also encourages them to think about consequences, decide on goals, and understand their own and others' feelings. Adolescents who make snap decisions are more likely to be involved in risky behaviours than those youth who carefully think about the options and evaluate the potential consequences.

Adolescents and youth are less able to:

identify options
identify and range of risks and benefits
understand or predict the risks and benefits
accurately assess the information received about the decision

This is due in part to their developmental stage. Emotions are also a factor in adolescent decision making. Adolescents who often experience strong emotions that can affect decision making can be taught and can learn how to recognize the effects of their emotions. Thus, adolescents who understand the decision-making process and think through a decision may rely less on emotion.

As you become more experienced and able to use a variety of communication and refusal skills you will be able to make better choices. An awareness of the possible influences on decisions can help make better choices about personal health practices and goals.

Increased personal awareness, self-confidence, and skills and abilities are all importation to informed decision making. A person may decide to try something new and different based upon their abilities and confidence, and be willing to deal with the consequences of that decision. There may also be some decisions a person makes without knowing or anticipating the consequences and will therefore be able to learn from the experience.

The amount of time and thought given to making a decision may depend on how important the issue is to you or how strong the influences are at the time that the decision has been made. Regardless of the amount of time devoted to the decision-making process, every decision has some effect on what will happen at a later time. You should always strive to make the healthiest and safest decision possible for yourself and others.

Download and complete the 'Friend's Party Scenario' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Communication Skills

The skills of effective communication are essential to making your messages clear and easily understood. Being a skilled communicator means that you will also be able to receive messages from others and be able to respond effectively.

Download and complete 'Ways to Communicate' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Communication Skills
Three basic skills are necessary to effectively communicate with others. These skills are:

Body language/non-verbal: many messages can be sent to others through gestures, facial expressions, behaviours, and posture.
Speaking: When you interact with others, you are responsible for making your thoughts and feelings known to others. You can demonstrate good speaking skills when you clearly say what you mean.
Listening: You must pay close attention to what someone is saying. Active listening involves giving your full attention to what the person is saying without interrupting or making judgement and being able to summarize what the speaker is saying.

Download and complete 'Effective Communication' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Techniques for Active Listening
When you listen carefully to others, you show them that you care about them and that you are interested in what they have to say. Active listeners use several techniques. These techniques are listed below and will be necessary for you to know to complete your assignment for this lesson.

Paraphrasing: With this technique you rephrase or summarize what the other person has said. This ensures that you have accurately understood what they are saying.
Clarifying: This involves asking the speaker questions about the way they feel or think in order for you to gain a clearer or deeper understanding of the situation.
Encouraging: Show your interest in what the person is saying by nodding or say "I understand."
Empathizing: This refers to you being able to imagine and understand how someone may be feeling. This may include sharing a common problem or situation.

Communication Breakdown
Sometimes you may feel like people don't understand you. Sometimes they seem uninterested in the things that you are meaningful to you. when they ask you questions, it may feel like you're on trial. does ti seem like they find fault with everything you do?

Five Tips to Communicating

Say what you mean, and be specific. Don't say, "I hate school. The teacher's are mean, and everyone is flunking," if what you're really trying to say is, "I know this will upset you, but I got my grades today, and they are terrible."
Try not to be defensive. If your parent/guardian asks what time you'll be home, don't assume they think you're sneaking around and getting into trouble. They are probably concerned about your well-being, and knowing you'll be home at a certain time eases their worry when you're not at home.
Give people a chance to think things over. It isn't fair to ask for something you want if you need an answer immediately. Allowing extra time also shows others that you think the issue is important enough to deserve attention from them.
Don't put others in the position of guessing what is important to you. Tell them and make sure you think things over first. If everything you bring up seems crucial, they will be confused about your priorities.
try to pick a time to talk that is good for you and the person you want to talk to. If they can't talk to you at the moment, it doesn't mean they're not interested. Ask them to suggest a time that's better for both of you.

Using some of these tips may help you to avoid potential problems or arguments you may have with your parents/guardians, friends, co-workers and others.

Download and complete 'Communication Skills for a Disagreement' assignment. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Stress Management

Download the following assignment. When you're done be sure to hand in the following assignments:

Stressful Situations
Stress Assessment
Ways to Deal with Stress
Stress Reduction

Supporting Others

Responding with Empathy

Importance of Nutrition

Nutritional Value of Foods

Comparing Labels

Factors Affecting Optimal Performance

Legal Aspects and Current Trends in Substance Use and Abuse

Medicinal drugs play a very important role on our society. Modern medicine relies on these drugs every minute of every day to save lives. Medicinal drugs can either be prescribed by a doctor or purchased without a prescription at a pharmacy or drugstore. Prescription drugs are those that are prescribed by a doctor to treat a variety of symptoms and conditions such as the common cold, pain, inflammation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart conditions, depression, and many more. They are drugs that have specific purposes and should be taken in specific amounts (dosage) to achieve the desired affect. Taking too little or not at the right times will reduce the effectiveness of the drug, while taking too much or too often usually results in adverse short- or long-term effects. Prescription drugs are prescribed for, and are intended to be taken by a specific individual and should therefore never be taken by a person for whom they were not prescribed.

During adolescence, drugs may be offered to you. Will you take an aspirin for your headache? What choices will you make when it comes to alcohol or tobacco? What will influence your decisions if you are confronted with the chance to try an illegal drug like marijuana?

Drugs may be used by people for many reasons: medication, stress relief, curiosity or experimentation, peer pressure, desire to be part of a group, a sense of relaxation and pleasurable euphoria, or as a way of easing physical or emotional pain. The choices you make can have a wide range of positive or negative consequences.

Substance Classification

Club Drugs: The use of psychoactive drugs (a substance that changes brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behaviour) may be used for recreational rather than medical or spiritual purposes. The term "club drugs" has been bused in the past to refer to drugs primarily used by young adults at dance clubs and raves. Club drugs are still widely used and available in these settings, but are also appearing in other social settings within our communities, such as in bars, on college campuses, and at high school parties or gatherings. Club drugs often appear at events for young adults that are advertised as "non-alcoholic functions" in which parents assume the attendees will be supervised and safe. Club drugs include, but are not limited to, MDMA (aka Ecstasy), LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), methamphetamine, GHB (Gama Hydroxybutyric Acid), Ketamine, and Rohypnol. Other drugs or substances such as marijuana and alcohol are also popular at clubs or raves.

Club drugs are classified into three areas:

Stimulants: drugs that speed up body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc. (ex. cocaine, nicotine, caffeine)
Depressants: drugs that slow down body functions (ex. alcohol, sleeping pills, painkillers)
Hallucinogens: drugs that both speed up and slow down body functions. Drugs that change the way a person experiences things like touch, taste, smell, sense of time, speed, and distance. May cause people to hear and see things that are not really there (ex. LSD, Magic Mushroom)

These drugs are very dangerous because of their effects on a person's ability to function properly both physically and mentally. How and where the drug was manufactured ans who is selling them adds to the danger because the drug could also include other substances.

Non-prescription medication: This form of medication can be sold legally without a doctor's prescription and is available in pharmacies and most large grocery stores. The most common non-prescription medication is for paint relief, and for the symptoms of the cold or flu.
Prescription Drug: This is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained. Below are the three categories of prescription drugs:

Narcotics: Such as Codeine, Vicodin and Percocet. Also known as analgesics or opiods are drugs that are prescribed for moderate to severe physical pain. They are abuse causes tolerance (need more of the drug for the same effect) and dependence and the withdrawal symptoms are severe.
Depressants: Such as Xanax, Valium and Librium. They are drugs that are prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. They are abused because of their sedating properties. With abuse, depressants cause tolerance and dependence and the withdrawal symptoms can be severe.
Stimulants: Such as Ritalin, Dexedrine and Meridia. They are prescribed to treat ADD/ADHD and other conditions such as asthma. They are abused because of their energizing and euphoric effects. Stimulants do not generally cause tolerance or dependence but abuse is associated with hostility and paranoia. There is also great risk for cardiovascular failure and seizures.

Alcohol: Alcohol is legal depressant, a liquid obtained by the fermentation of carbohydrates by yeast or by distillation. There are many different types of alcohol, but Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the type of alcohol that is used to make alcoholic beverages.
Tobacco: the product manufactured from the leaf of various plants and used in cigars and cigarettes, snuff, and pipe and chewing tobacco. Nicotine is one of more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke and is the primary component that acts on the brain. Smokeless tobacco products such as snuff and chewing tobacco also contain high levels of nicotine as well as other toxins.
Anabolic Steroids: Anabolic steroids are any drugs or hormonal substances chemically and pharmacological related to testosterone (other than estrogen, progestin, and carticosteroids), that promote muscle growth. Most illicit anabolic steroids are sold at gyms, competitions and through mail-order operations.

Addiction
Addiction is defined as a dependence on a substance (ex. nicotine, alcohol) to the extent that a strong physiological and/or psychological need is established, despite the harmful consequences to self and others. You may know someone who smokes and finds it very hard to quit even though they are aware of the severe consequences associated with the habit. This is because they may be addicted to the nicotine in the cigarettes.

Some people may be more prone to drug addiction than others and there may be genes that predispose certain people to addiction. Some people experiment with drugs such as alcohol and marijuana and either do not realize or disregard the potential hazards associated with their use. Sometimes the use of one drug will lead to the use of other more powerful and potentially dangerous drugs such as "speed", LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), and PCP (phencyclidine), cocaine and heroin. It is important to always be aware that experimentation can turn into use or abuse without any obvious signs.

It is also important to realize that addiction often has social and emotional consequences such as:

low self-esteem
emotional distress
family problems (ex. abuse, divorce)
loss of friends
job loss
participation in crime to support the addiction

The harm from chemical dependency (addiction) should be measured not just in how the addiction harms the body (the physical effects), but also in the way it affects mental health (the psychological effects), and social health - your family and work environment. A person may lose old friends (non-drug users) and end up making new friends (drug users) that may be a bad influence on them.

How does addiction affect a person's mind?
Addiction usually disturbs a person's perceptions and attitudes and can disrupt their personality. One reason would be that substances such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, heroin, and Valium interfere with the natural chemistry of the brain. Another reason is that the experience of addiction has an effect on a person's thinking and feeling. An addiction such as smoking may not have the same harmful social consequences on relationships as other substances might, but the addiction can be just as powerful.

Download and complete 'Impact of Substance Abuse' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Legal Consequences
Experimentation during the teenage years may occur, and may include alcohol and drugs. Unfortunately, teenagers often do not link their immediate actions with the potential long-term consequences. Teenagers sometimes feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others may have experienced.

Legally available drugs include alcohol, prescribed medications, inhalants (fumes from glues, aerosols, and solvents), caffeine pills, energy drinks, and over-the-counter cough, cold, sleep and diet medications. Even though these drugs and substances can be legally purchased by some individuals, some are restricted to others due to their age. For example, in British Columbia you cannot buy or consume alcohol until you are 19 years of age.

The most commonly used illegal drugs are marijuana (pot), stimulatns (cocaine, crack and speed), LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), PCP (phencyclidine), opiates (opium and heroin), and designer or club drugs (Ecstasy).

Download and complete 'Legal Brainteaser Scenario' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Download and complete 'Refusal Statements' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Download and complete 'Effects of Alcohol and Drugs' activity. Keep it in your PE Journal.

Download and complete 'Substance Use and/or Abuse Prevention Strategy' assignment. Also download the assignment marking rubric. Keep both in your PE Journal.

Building and Maintaining Healthy Meaningful Relationships

Unhealthy Aspects of a Relationship
Relationship Characteristics
Making Decisions Based on Bill of Rights

Influences on Decision Making

Codes and Advertisements
Advertising Influences on Consumers

AIDS and STIs

Risk Groups for Transmitting the HIV Virus
Community Resources
Questions on STIs

Sexually Reproductive Health

Label the Diagrams
Birth Control Essay or Brochure

Human Reproduction and Abstinence

Abstinence Essay or Brochure