Understanding Emotional Health

20 minutes

Create a safe and positive learning environment by agreeing ground rules for the session.

This session can be used as a starter for “What is Emotional Health” longer session

In this lesson we will learn:

• what emotional health is
• how we recognise emotional health in ourselves and others.

Resources

• pictures and photos of various people from magazines and newspapers (collect beforehand).

Activity

1. In pairs or small groups, students look at pictures and sort into those that show positive emotional health – and those that don’t. After five minutes discuss: Was it easy or not to tell? How do you know what someone’s emotional health is like?
2. Would you divide them differently if we had looked at their physical health? Which is easier, and why?
3. Each group should choose one picture and make a list of why they think this person is healthy – both physically and emotionally. Then go through the list and underline the things we would not be able to tell just by looking at someone. Discuss how we can tell if we are emotionally healthy.

Key message We cannot tell what someone‘s emotional health is like by just looking at their image. Emotional health does not mean being happy all the time.

Reflection

What might someone do to indicate that they are emotionally healthy or not?

Links

This session links to: Rate a celebrity | Coping with changes | Developing listening skills | Supporting a friend | My support network

Make sure young people know what support is available and how to access this support.