Health and Well-being
SDG-Millennium Development Goals âĒ Good Health and Well-being
?Pre-Reading Questions
ðUnderstanding Health and Well-being
Health and well-being are the buzzwords that we hear a lot about today. While being healthy and well sounds great, figuring out how to generate those qualities is easier said than done. Health and well-being are connected, but they are two different things.
If we are mentally healthy, we can navigate daily life and its setbacks without excessive or debilitating stress, frustration, anxiety, or sadness. Taken together, physical and mental health affects everything we do.
What is well-being?
If you consult the dictionary, health and well-being might be described as the absence of "negative" things, like mental distress and physical illness. A more positive view of well-being definition might be to think of the maintenance of physical, mental, and emotional stability and balance â not just the absence of illness.
Objective well-being: Has its foundations in basic human needs, including food, education, health, safety, and shelter. Objective well-being rises and drops with societal, cultural, and political events, and can be measured by asking people to self-report their overall well-being.
Subjective well-being: Can be measured by asking people how they feel about their well-being. It relies on less tangible (but no less important) measurements, like satisfaction, social well-being, happiness, and a sense of meaning.
When objective and subjective well-being come together, they create an overall sense of wellness. But why does it matter? The answer is simple: a foundation of mental and physical wellness allows us to function at our highest potential.
â ïļThe Impact of Stress on Health
If your health and well-being are lacking, everything else in your life, personal and professional, is more difficult and less rewarding. One significant impediment to health and well-being that most of us experience is stress.
When stress affects us, it affects every aspect of our lives, including our relationships and personal lives. While stress can come from many places, one common culprit is work.
Workplace Stress Statistics:
âĒ 94% of American workers report experiencing stress at their jobs
âĒ Each year, this work-related stress results in about $190 billion in healthcare costs
âĒ Excessive stress makes it harder for workers to perform effectively and "leave work at work"
While companies have responded to complaints with a renewed commitment to employee wellness, the stresses of our modern workplace can pose real risks to mental and well-being. How does well-being affect overall health?
Poor mental and physical well-being impact our ability to fight off chronic diseases and make healthy choices. But simply, when our well-being starts to suffer, our physical health declines as well.
ðThe Connection Between Mental and Physical Health
Think of this way: stress is a factor that impacts mental well-being. When people experience excessive stress, it increases the risk that they will also develop depression. Developing depression drastically decreases a person's well-being. Once this happens, a person's physical health starts to suffer.
While depression is technically a mental disorder, it has real impacts on the body. For some people, depression causes weight changes, gastrointestinal problems, forgetfulness, difficulty with short-term memory, and much more.
Key Point: It's impossible to perform well or stay physically or mentally healthy when your well-being is lacking. Just like mental health impacts health, mental health has very real and far-reaching impacts on physical health. Good mental health is essential to good physical health.
Both physical and mental health impact well-being. When people feel mentally fit and balanced, they're more resilient. Being better equipped to cope with life's difficulties and bounce back from difficult events improves overall well-being.
ðĄTips for Improving Your Well-being
Bringing more well-being into your daily life is as easy as adding a few new habits. Here are a few of our top tips:
Connect with Others
Relationships with other people are critical to our well-being and mental health. Humans are social creatures. We evolved to live in tight-knit groups of other people.
- Get on FaceTime or Zoom call with a friend or loved one
- Carve out quality time with your partner, housemates, kids, or whoever else you share a home with
- Strengthen your loose connections by getting to know your neighbors
- Send a text message to let a friend know you're thinking of them
- Get outside for a safe and socially distanced walk with a loved one
Be Physically Active
Exercise can improve your sleep, enhance your mood, and decrease feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. Studies show that physical activity can treat moderate depression as effectively as leading antidepressant medications.
Even running for just 15 minutes or walking for an hour a day can decrease the risk of major depression. According to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, even small amounts of activity help.
Learn New Skills
Lifelong learning is more than just a positive way to spend your time; it's also an excellent way to maintain mental well-being. Research shows that learning improves confidence and self-esteem, promotes a sense of purpose, helps build connections with others, and can slow cognitive aging.
Get out of your comfort zone that learning brings. Use a language app to learn a language or sign up for a class at a local university. It's fun and good for your well-being.
Give to Others
Generosity feels great, but can it improve your well-being? The answer is yes. If you're looking for a way to start giving back, begin small, even with your time. Try doing research on community organizations that support causes you're interested in.
The great thing about charitable work is that there are thousands of ways to do it, so you can find a cause that truly ignites your passion and aligns with your interests.
Pay Attention to the Present
Most of us have experienced, firsthand, how stressful it can be to live in the past or the future. When we live in the past, we get caught up in the shame, anger, and regret associated with our emotions or negative situations we've experienced.
Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling at every moment â without interpretation or judgment. When you practice mindfulness, you spend more time in the world around you as it is right now.
Over time, mindfulness can promote many health and well-being benefits, including reduced stress, less anxiety and depression, better mood and outlook, and more focus.
ðŊConclusion
Health and well-being are more than just "nice to have" â they're essential to our functionality, happiness, and fulfillment in every aspect. Health and well-being take a beating in today's fast-paced and often hectic world. However, it's easy for health and well-being to take a beating.
Fortunately, there are many ways we can improve our mental and physical health and promote well-being in our daily lives, starting with understanding what creates well-being and knowing how to generate more of it. Through mindfulness, giving back, moving our bodies, learning new things, and connecting with others, we can improve our well-being and health daily.
ðĒ Oral Communication & Grammar
Interactive Learning Activities and Exercises
ðĢïļOral Communication Activities
Pair Work
Work in pairs and discuss how you can replace junk food like fries with a healthier option available in food items.
Choose a traditional Pakistani dish and discuss its nutritional value, taste and the reason to like it with your partner.
Group Work
Arrange the students into groups. The students will discuss various factors affecting overall well-being of an individual. Each group of students can discuss one aspect e.g. physical, mental and social health. Then, all the groups will present their findings in front of the class.
Physical Well-being
The group will discuss in detail how diet, exercise, sleep and regular health checkups can contribute to overall physical well-being of an individual. After the discussion, the group members will present the information before the class.
Mental Well-being
The group members will discuss the factors influencing a person's mental health e.g. stress management, mindfulness, support seeking and maintaining a positive attitude. Each student will later present the findings in front of the class.
Social Well-being
The students will discuss in their group how social relationships, effective communication and community engagement affect social well-being of an individual. Afterwards, they will share their findings with the class.
Emotional Well-being
The members will talk about the factors affecting a person's emotional well-being e.g. emotional intelligence, self-awareness, emotional flexibility and coping strategies. Later, the group members will share their findings with the class.
Environmental Well-being
In this activity, the students will examine how different factors lead to environmental well-being of an individual. The factors may include access to clean air and water, sustainable living practices, and a connection with the nature. After the discussion, the students will present the findings with the class.
ðVocabulary and Grammar
Adjectival Phrase
- Alex is a well-behaved man.
- He is a man of friendly nature.
- Julie is a woman of gorgeous style.
- She leads a very interesting life.
Prepositional Phrase
- He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country.
- In the end, we all have to die.
- He is on the way.
- By working aimlessly, you will not get success.
Adverbial Phrase
- The horse runs at a good speed.
- I was in a hurry then.
- I ran as fast as possible.
- He works very slowly.
âïļPractice Exercises
- The boy in the red shirt is new here.
- Which one of your trips would you describe as the most adventurous one?
- Is the bag by the table yours?
- Are you shorter than your brother?
- The boy with the Porsche was noticed by everyone.
- Can you buy me a box of white homemade chocolates when you come back?
- The red-haired Portuguese boy impressed all his teachers in no time.
- All the children have read the play about the poor man and the king.
- The city is expecting very few sunny days this month.
- The tall Egyptian building is one among the wonders of the world.
- After the movie the group of teenagers went to a restaurant for a burger.
- Without sugar the blueberries were too sour for the dinner guests.
- Sally worked from midnight to noon on her science project.
- Over the river and through the woods to grandfather's house we go.
- He ate three boxes of popcorn with butter during the movie.
- Despite his fear of water Jack saved the drowning puppy.
- Janet took her lunch with her to the seminar.
- At the Country Fair the child with the freckles won the talent contest.
- For breakfast she likes bananas with strawberries.
- Down the dark alley the cat chased a rat with long whiskers.
- The salesman went door to door to promote his new product.
- The girls were running to and fro.
- They left their home country to pursue better opportunities in a foreign country.
- His reputation as a lawyer spread far and wide.
- You can find that brand at all places that sell cosmetics.
- The crime scene investigator found a clue on this spot that led to the perpetrator's arrest.
- Rocky ran at a great speed to win the race.
- It's impossible for humans to survive on the moon without proper equipment.
- I climbed up on the roof to get a better view of the sunset.
- The host family welcomed the guests and told them to make themselves at home.
Write the phrases given below.
In the heart of a serene, sun-sunny meadow, a vibrant tapestry of wild lilies sprawled across the bright green landscape, painting it with lots of colors. Among them, an elegant, crimson poppy moved elegantly in the gentle breeze. Its petals garlanded with droplets of morning dew. A family of bumblebees hummed happily, moving from one elegant, crimson poppy moved elegantly in the gentle breeze. Its petals garlanded with droplets of morning dew. A family of bumblebees hummed happily, moving from one flower to another, collecting nectar with their bodies striped in the colour of nature.
As the sun mounted higher in the indigo sky, the grazing land came alive with the symphony of wildlife. The birds rested on the gnarled, moss-covered branches of very old oak trees, singing magical tunes that echoed through the vale. A chattering brook, its waters clear as crystal, curled its way through the pastures, babbling happily as it journeyed toward the snow-capped peaks. Among this, the flowers colors and sweet jewels, increasing the beauty of countryside with charismatic hils and elegant fragrances.
| Adjectival phrases | Prepositional phrases | Adverbial phrases |
|---|---|---|
ðŊTeacher's Point
Guide your students to identify and use adjectival, prepositional, and adverbial phrases in reading and writing tasks.
âïļ Writing Skills & Grammar
Comprehensive Learning Guide for Students
ðWriting Skills
Formal Letter Writing
Assignment: Write a letter to the Principal of your school requesting him/her to instruct the person in charge of the canteen to provide healthy and nutritional food in the school cafeteria.
Literary Analysis
Assignment: Read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (abridged version) and examine how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. Critique the plot development with respect to different aspects of the story.
ðąProject: My Kitchen Garden
Overview: Look for different gardening techniques and consider the advantages of growing organic food items at home. Organize a small kitchen garden at your place keeping in view the following points and write down the steps in your notebook.
ð Location Selection
Selection of a suitable location for garden
ðŋ Plant Selection
Picking the right kind of plants
ðą Soil Preparation
Preparation of soil
ðŠī Container Selection
Selection of right containers or pots for plants
ð§ Water & Light
Making water and sunlight arrangements
ð Pest Control
Strategies for pest control
Expository Essay
Assignment: Think about ideas, organize and create a well-planned expository essay on the topic of "Habits for a Healthier Life." Use Brainstorming technique to gather ideas and then create a mind map before you start writing. Revise and edit the first draft.
ðVocabulary and Grammar Review
Exercise 1: Phrase Identification
Task: Identify prepositional phrase, adjectival phrase, and adverbial phrase in the following sentences.
Exercise 2: Narration Transformation
Task: Change the narration of the following sentences.
Exercise 3: Grammar Correction
Task: Read the sentences given below and rectify the mistakes keeping in mind the tenses and subject-verb agreement.
ð Assessment Information
Questions and Answers session after each presentation.
Assessment: The teacher will assess each group's presentation based on predetermined evaluation criteria (e.g., clarity, accuracy, engagement) and give feedback to highlight strengths and areas for improvement.
ðĻâðŦ Teacher's Point
Guide your students to write formal letters to people in extended academic and professional environments for various purposes.
