Getting Help with Troublesome
Feelings
Skills for developing Good Emotional
Health
• Communicating emotions appropriately.
• Developing healthy, supportive relationships
with peers and adults.
• Knowing how to cope with stressful situations.
• Setting short-term and long-term goals and
taking action to achieve them.
• Advocating for health and helping others.
Explain
• In the last class, you learned about
communicating emotions appropriately.
Today you are going to learn about developing
supportive relationships with peers and adults
and helping others.
Ask and Discuss
• Turn back to your “Emotion Words”
worksheet.
• Choose 8 words from the list of Emotion
Words that would describe a person who is in
trouble emotionally and might need help.
• Share some of the words you chose with the
class.
Explain
• Sometimes it’s difficult to observe these
emotions in others. But there are some signs
and symptoms of troublesome emotions that
you should be aware of.
What are some of these signs
and symptoms?
Signs and symptoms of troublesome
feelings include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acting very emotional or crying a lot
Loss of appetite or weight loss
Being more moody or depressed than usual
Always feeling tired or run down
Loss of interest in daily activities
Using alcohol or other drugs to deal with feelings
Unusual anger or violent behavior
Withdrawing from friends and wanting to be left
alone
• Talking about suicide
Complete and Share
• You are going to have an opportunity to
identify strategies for helping yourself or
others who might be experiencing these signs
and symptoms.
• Get in to groups of 4 (2 girls, 2 boys) and take
out your “Help for Troublesome Feelings”
worksheet.
• Fill out the sheet with your group.
What to do when friends are
experiencing troublesome feelings:
•
•
•
•
Don’t ignore the signs and symptoms.
Listen and be supportive.
Let your friend know you will help.
If your friend is using alcohol or other drugs
encourage him or her to stop.
• Encourage your friend to talk to a trusted adult.
• Help your friend get to school or community
resources such as counselors.
• Don’t keep it a secret from others who can help.
You can best help by not keeping
a friend’s problem a secret!
HOMEWORK!!
• A good way to protect yourself when you
experience troublesome feelings is to develop
a network of friends and trusted adults who
can help.
• Take out your “Getting Support” activity
sheet.