Physical and Emotional Health

Physical and Emotional Health

Overview

As a normal part of our mortality, we face many mental, emotional, and physical challenges. As we draw strength from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, They will help us become emotionally resilient, learning healthy coping skills for whatever we face. The following lessons encourage students to care for their physical bodies, develop healthy thinking patterns, and seek the Lord’s help with emotions such as stress, anxiety, sadness, depression, anger, and in developing healthy habits.

Prepare to teach

The following information provides you with ideas of what you may need to prepare for each lesson.

Pacing suggestion: These lessons could be taught at any point in the school year or during any week in the Come, Follow Me schedule. However, Lesson 181: “Building Emotional Strength in the Lord” and Lesson 183: “Developing Healthy Thinking Patterns” provide foundational understanding and skills for lessons that follow them in this category. Teaching these lessons before the others in this section could help students learn skills they can then practice while learning about healthy ways to deal with their emotions.

Building Emotional Strength in the Lord

Pacing suggestion: You might consider teaching this lesson around the same time you teach Lesson 61: “Joshua 1.” Verse 8 invites us to receive the strength and courage the Lord has promised to those who meditate (ponder) on His words when dealing with difficult challenges.

Lesson purpose: To help students draw strength from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to cope with their emotional challenges.

• Student preparation: Invite students to think about or ask someone they know about experiences they have had dealing with difficult feelings. As appropriate, they could prepare to share the experience with the class.

• Items to display: Images of two trees—one that has been uprooted by strong winds, and one that has remained firmly planted in the ground; statement from Elder Neil L. Andersen

• Videos: “Spiritual Whirlwinds,” time code 0:00 to 1:10 and time code 1:33 to 2:12; “Spiritual Whirlwinds” time code 3:45 to 4:12 and time code 4:12 to 4:48

Caring for Our Physical Body

Lesson purpose: To help students understand how our choices impact our physical and emotional health.

• Student preparation: Invite students to think about their health choices (eating, sleeping, exercising, and so on) over the last week. Encourage them to evaluate how those choices affected how they felt physically and emotionally.

• Items to display: A picture of a teenager making several unhealthy choices

• Handout: “Taking Care of Our Physical Body”

Developing Healthy Thinking Patterns

Lesson purpose: To help students look to the Savior as they establish healthy thinking patterns.

• Student preparation: Invite students to pay attention to the thoughts they have throughout the day. They could even reflect on how those thoughts make them feel.

• Items to display: Two drawings from the lesson; two stick figures, paths, pit, thought bubbles

• Video: “Filling Our Minds with the Power of Jesus Christ” (2:07)

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Pacing suggestion: This lesson uses the skills illustrated by Jethro’s counsel to Moses in Exodus 18 to help us manage feelings of stress and anxiety. You might consider teaching this lesson during the Come, Follow Me week of Exodus 14–18.

Lesson purpose: To help students practice skills that draw upon the Savior’s power to manage stress and anxiety.

• Student preparation: Invite students to think of situations when they feel stressed or anxious and ways they can turn to the Lord for help.

• Items to display: Statement from President Russell M. Nelson

• Video: “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation” from time code 5:33 to 5:55

• Handout: “Stress and Anxiety”

Coping with Sadness and Depression

Pacing suggestion: A portion of this lesson teaches several ways the Lord can help students deal with sadness and depression, as He did with Elijah. You might consider teaching this lesson around the same time you teach Lesson 82: “1 Kings 18.”

Lesson purpose: To help students understand how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help them endure feelings of sadness and depression.

• Student preparation: Invite students to find a scripture or quote from a Church leader that could help someone focus on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ when they feel sad or depressed. They could prepare to share their scripture with the class.

• Items to display: A picture of hikers carrying heavy backpacks; statement from President Russell M. Nelson; an image of Elijah

• Videos: “Because Jesus Christ died …” (1:06); “Rise,” (1:42); “Mental Health: Compassion for Those Who Struggle” (2:26)

• Handout: “The Lord Helps Us Endure”

Managing Anger

Pacing suggestion: This lesson uses the story of Jacob and Esau to illustrate the need to respond appropriately to feelings of anger. It might be helpful to teach this lesson near Lesson 30: “Genesis 25–27.”

Lesson purpose: To help students follow the example of Jesus Christ when experiencing feelings of anger.

• Student preparation: Invite students to list situations where they might be tempted to respond with anger. They could also evaluate how often they get angry and how they manage these feelings.

• Items to display: A soda can or a picture of a soda can; a picture of a shaken soda can being opened; a picture of Esau

• Video: “Jacob and Esau” time code 1:10 to 1:53

• Handout: “Steps to Managing Anger”

Developing Healthy Habits

Lesson purpose: To help students seek help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to develop healthy habits.

• Student preparation: Invite students to think about things they do every day that have become habits. They could also reflect on how these habits, both good and bad, are affecting their spiritual progress.

• Items to display: Pictures of a weed patch, a garden, a flower, and a weed; statement from President Jeffrey R. Holland

• Handout: “Establishing Healthy Habits”