Chapters 1, 2 &3

Within chapter 1 I have learned many things. I have learned the meaning of health. Health is Being free from symptoms of disease and pain as much as possible and a state of physical, mental, and social well being .I have learned of the illness-wellness continuum which can place a person anywhere between perfect health and death at anytime depending on if you’re sick or not. I have also learned of the dimensions of health which is basically different kinds of health, these include physical, intellectual, psychological, social, spiritual, environmental and occupational. I found this very interesting because I never realized health came in so many forms. A big thing I have learned in chapter one is that choice is the biggest part of health, it’s important to make the right choices to be at your best in every way. (chapter1)

Chapter 2 focused on psychological health, I have learned what psychological health is and its characteristics, such as realism, self-esteem, optimism, autonomy and assertiveness, communication and intimacy, emotional intelligence, spirituality, and prioritizing needs. Again this is something I never knew and was interesting to learn have learned of the many mental issues that can occur. I now know that stress can affect your well being, along with depression, anxiety, panic etc. I also have read on ways to reduce stress, anxiety and tension, which can cause problems like headaches, chronic stress can really affect your health in many ways like effecting your cardiovascular system, digestive system,  immune system and even effects your mood, mind and mental health. just by relaxing and taking a deep breath, and pretty much center yourself, clear your mind, try to get yourself grounded, and try to feel connected physically and spiritually can really help. Mental health is very important as well as all the other kinds of health. mentally; if you think negative you will feel negative, so by clearing your mind and have set times to relax and collect yourself and even putting your thought and emotions on paper can help with all that comes with the mental issues, physically taking care of you as far as your diet and exercise are extremely important for a healthy lifestyle and can help mentally. There are many things one can do to prevent over stressing or at least manage it. (Chapter 2&3)

I learned some interesting things within these chapters, in discussions i came across a issue i have never really thought about, and that's health in the media. media portrays people so differently and can really confuse people as far as whats good for them, whats acceptable, what we should look like, what our weight should be and really its not all really, alot of it is photo shop to make you look amazing, when in reality these people are just like everyone else, everyone has flaws. they make people think diets are great, they agree that taking this miracle pill everyday will change your life, which makes it hard to figure out if you can or cant trust these advertisements when you have so called doctors involved. but there are ways to figure out what to believe.

I have learned a few words, such as locus of control, psycho dynamic, eustress and homeostasis

I have visited a site that helped me better understand these issues and the real everyday reality of mental health. http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/8034_mental_health_problems