Role of Teens in Suicide Prevention

1. What are some warning signs that someone may be considering suicide?

• Threatening to hurt of kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
• Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Feelings of rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
• Feeling trapped - like there’s no way out
• Feeling anxious, agitated or unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
• Experiencing dramatic mood changes

2. What can you do if you suspect a friend or classmate is considering suicide?

• Take action
• Reach out to them
• Don't keep it a secret
• Encourage the seeking of help
• Offer your support, give your support
• Choose what to say, how to say, and when to say it.
• Be informed on what the problem is. 

Stress Management

1. What situations cause you to stress out?

Situations such as;

School

Work

Peer pressure

Change

Fear

Expectations

Isolation

Tiredness

Anxiety

2. What is happening in your body when you are stressed?

There is activation in the nervous system and specific hormones. Hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and metabolism. When you are stressed, the response prepares a person to react quickly. However when it overreacts for too long, it will wear out the body's reserves and weaken the immune system. 

3. What are some strategies you can use to minimize stress?

Have a balanced, healthy diet

Drink lots and lots of water

Get enough sleep

Plan out your day

Set realistic goals

Unplug - find down time

4. What are 2 types of stress?

Eustress - Positive stress

Distress - Negative stress

5. Have you experienced eustress? When?

I have experienced eustress. I'm in a choir that performs twice a year in front of a few thousand people. Before our performance we usually spend all day rehearsing, setting up the stage, and just making sure that we will be ready for the performances. And usually during that practice time and shortly leading up to it, I get nervous, excited and stressed all at the same time. Stressed because there are a lot of people watching, but excited because I really enjoy singing in the choir.

6. How can health and fitness influence stress?

It will help because eating the right foods nourish your body. Giving you energy. A workout provides an immediate stress relief. It can focus your thoughts in the moment relieving your mind from stress. 

7. What can you do to help a friend who is stressed out?

Listen to them.

Be supportive

Don't judge too quickly

Find a way to relate to them

Find a positive way to manage and change the situation

Emotional Intelligence Quiz

 1. What was your predicted score?

I predict that out of 20, I will score a 15. 

2. What was your actual score on the quiz?

19/20

3. List 5 things you learned from the quiz.

~ A duchenne smile, which signals happiness. It’s defined by two muscle movements. The movement common to all smiles is the zygomatic major muscle pulling the lip corners up. But, critically, what reveals this as a genuine smile is what happens around the eyes: The muscles tighten, making those wrinkles, or crow’s feet, around the sides of the eyes and creating that pouching of the lower eyelid. 

~ In the lips, around the eyes, and in the brow—when people are feeling aggressive, threatened, or frustrated. Researchers think we make this expression when we're angry because it could protect the face in a physical conflict—for example, the furrowed eyebrows could protect the eyes. People often confuse anger and disgust, but disgust involves a raised upper lip and a wrinkle in the nose that you don’t see here.

~ Pride involves signs of dominance. The corners of the lips rise slightly, signaling that the person is happy. But what distinguishes this from happiness is that the head tilts back, with a slight jaw-thrust. Those are classic signs of power and dominance—they suggest that we’re feeling strong.
The expression of pride is also close to the expression of contempt. They both involve a backward head tilt, but contempt doesn't involve a slight smile like pride does; instead, with contempt the lip movement is asymmetrical—only one side tightens.

~ Surprise is often confused with fear. But when we’re afraid, our lower eyelids tighten and our eyebrows look flat and tense; with surprise, our upper eyelids rise up and our eyebrows arch. Also, our jaws drop when we’re surprised, but our lip corners go sideways when we’re afraid, making the mouth look tighter.
Some experts believe our eyes open wide like this because when we’re confronted with something surprising—a long-lost friend, an unexpected award—we try to absorb as much of this new information as possible.

~ What conveys flirtatiousness is when someone turns his or her head away to signal ‘I’m not interested in you,’ but simultaneously makes eye contact. That’s a universal display that reflects the ambivalence of flirtation—the flirter avoids and approaches someone at the same time.
Someone flirting gives off signals of pleasure, as indicated by the zygomatic major muscle pulling the lip corners up, which also raises the cheeks slightly.