Week 3 - 2 questions and a Power Point

Mental Health and Wellness

Introduction

Mental health and wellness are subjects that seem to permeate the media today. When we consider mental health, we may look at the negative aspects of our lives and even label it as something for those who have severe illness. However, it is refreshing that there is a shift in this thinking and we can pause and think about proactive measures each one of us can take to thwart the symptoms that can move into an illness scenario. The purpose of this chapter is it helps you understand what the terms of mental health and wellness mean and what they can look like in your own life and with family, friends, and relationships at work and school. Defining what abnormal and normal looks may look like as well as defining mental health and wellness is a good place to start.

Normal Versus Abnormal: Am I Abby Normal?

Everybody experiences emotions and reacts to circumstances in their environment on a daily basis. This is part of what makes life interesting and allows you to feel the depth and height of the human experience. Some of these are normal emotional reactions to certain circumstances such as crying when someone is dying; laughing at a funny movie; feeling pressure or feeling uncomfortable in new situations; feeling angry at injustice; and releasing anxiety through prayer, meditation, and recreation. There are rules within our social circles as well that help us determine what is considered normal and these may be different across cultural lines. However, it is important to distinguish these rules and identify ways to ensure we are within these boundaries so that our relationships flourish.

On the other hand, there are six criteria in which psychologists identify abnormal behavior. According to Nevid, Rathus, and Greene (2008) the six criteria are:

          Unusualness in behavior − seeing things that are not there, except in possible religious settings; panicking when entering an elevator (in American culture).

          Social deviance − not acceptable norms within a society code.

          Faulty perceptions or interpretations of reality − such as delusions or ideas of persecution that are out of our realm of experience (stalked by the CIA).

          Significant Personal Stress − longer periods than normal of troubling emotions such as depression, anxiety, or fear.

          Maladaptive or self-defeating behavior − behaviors that lead to continual unhappiness, inability to function in normal life roles, or to adapt to our environment (such as intense fear of being in public, obsessing thoughts, or compulsive acts).

          Dangerous − behavior that is dangerous to oneself or others.

As you can see, there are specific circumstances and behaviors that are noted to guide us in understanding how these two ideas are determined and examined by professionals, our social culture, and ourselves.

Wellness

It is likely that all of us would like to consider more wellness in our lives and at GCU, the four (4) pillars subscribes to this idea. Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2011, para. 1) states that wellbeing or wellness is the "state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous." This definition leaves a wide range of opportunity to distinguish behaviors that can increase our mindset toward this end. Stress as we noted in Module 1 can be challenging to ourselves and to our health. These "stressors" can be categorized according to Feldman (2010) into three categories − cataclysmic events such as disasters or things beyond our control; personal stressors, for example major life issues (divorce, loss of job, etc); and lastly background stressors or daily hassles including standing in long lines at a place of business, traffic, or being late for work. However, Feldman cites that long-term problems such as dissatisfaction with work, being in an unhappy relationship, or dealing with a chronic illness can all add up over time and have been associated with psychological and physical health issues. There are two (ways) that psychologists say we can positively cope with stress. One is emotion-focused coping where the individual tries to handle the emotion during the stressful period by changing the feeling or thinking about the situation. Secondly there is problem-focused coping where the person attempts to change the problem or stressor (Folkman and Moskowitz, 2000, 2004). Lastly, there is a model of wellness suggested by Hetler (2011) that indicates there are six categories to consider when thinking about wellness. There are more specific ways to examine positive mindsets and how to take these categories of coping and put them into action. Optimism and wellness, happiness, paying it forward, and looking at life through a cup half full are just a few to examine. These are considered further in our readings for the week.

Wellness and Sleep

Sleep is something that we all need to be interactive in our lives and it is considered by many to promote health. There are different theories about sleep, which will not be covered in depth in class; however, it is usually noted that there are outward behaviors we can observe when someone has not experienced enough sleep. These might include being on edge; inability concentrate as well or focus; and lower performance at work, school, and home. Without enough sleep you can put others and yourself in danger. With these considered, the thought of how it impacts wellness may also be noted. The American Psychological Association (2011, para. 1) talks in depth about the importance of sleep so much so that it cites that "40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness to the point that it interferes with daily functioning."

 

References

American Psychological Association. (2011). Why sleep is important and what happens when you don't get enough. Retrieved September 15th, 2011, from http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx

Feldman, R. S. (2010). Psychology and your life. McGraw Hill Higher Education. New York, NY.

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. (2000). Stress, positive emotion, and coping. Current Directions in Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 9(4), 115-118. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. (2004). COPING: Pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55(1), 745-774. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456

Hetler, Bill (2011). The Six Dimensions of Wellness. National Wellness Institute. Retrieved September 16th, 2011 from http://www.nationalwellness.org/index.php?id_tier=2&id_c=25

Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2008). In Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World. (7th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle, NJ.

Well-being. In Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary (2011). Retrieved September 16, 2011, from http://www.credoreference.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/entry/mwcollegiate/well_being_wel_be_i