How Do You Prioritize Your Mental Health?

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Improve your ability to talk about mental health.

Exercise 1

Warm-up

Have a short conversation based on these questions. Make sure you ask your tutor some questions too!

What causes you the most stress?

Do you know anyone who often gets stressed?

Exercise 2

Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these words and phrases with your tutor.

meditate
seek professional help
relationship problems
open up
major life changes
practice mindfulness
uncertainty about the future
health issues
see therapist
set boundaries
responsibilities
limit screen time

Let's Practice

Tell your tutor which of the items on the list are things that negatively impact mental health and which are things that can improve mental health.

Exercise 3

Useful Language

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor. If you don't know a word, ask your tutor to read the definition and example sentence.

exhausted

Adjective

hopeless

Adjective

anxious

Adjective

tense

Adjective

depressed

Adjective

burned out

Adjective

Let's Practice

Tell your tutor if each pair of words or phrases has a similar or different meaning.

exhausted / tired

hopeless / sick

anxious / worried

tense / stressed

depressed / calm

burned out / nervous

Exercise 4

Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor, then answer the questions.

	Lauren How do you deal with stress?
	Hyun-woo Well, recently I've been trying to meditate and have found it pretty helpful. How about you?
	Lauren I find exercising really helps to take my mind off things. Do you have a good work-life balance?
	Hyun-woo It's something I'm working on improving. I'm getting better at setting boundaries between my work and personal life, and prioritizing myself instead of my job. But it's not always easy!
	Lauren I get that. Sometimes it's really hard to switch off — even when you're totally burned out.
	Hyun-woo How do you prioritize your mental health?
	Lauren I just try to be kind to myself, you know? When I'm exhausted or overwhelmed I take a day off work to recharge. What about you?
	Hyun-woo I wasn't sure about it at first, but I've started seeing a therapist recently and I wish I had done it sooner. She's given me so much great advice for when I'm feeling depressed or anxious.
	Lauren Do you think mental health is as important as physical health?
	Hyun-woo Absolutely! And they're connected — we have to take care of both.
	Lauren I agree. Do you think attitudes around mental health are changing?
	Hyun-woo I think so. More people are starting to understand that it's okay to not be okay and to seek professional help.
	Lauren Yeah, it's definitely become more normal to open up about things.

Check Your Understanding

How does Lauren deal with stress?

Does Hyun-woo think he has a good work-life balance?

Does Lauren think that attitudes around mental health are changing?

Exercise 5

Find the Mistake

Find and correct the mistake in each sentence. Be careful — not all sentences have a mistake!

I find it hard to opened up to people.

Do you think attitudes around mental health is changing?

I've learned to set boundaries between my work to personal life.

Limiting screen time might help improve your sleep.

How do you deal for stress?

Do you think mental health is as importance as physical health?

I have decided to seek professional help.

I was completely burned out after work on the project for two months.

Exercise 6

Fill in the Blanks

Read the dialogue aloud with your tutor and fill in the blanks. You will be Meryem. Use the Answer Pool below to help you.

	Ling How do you deal with stress?
	Meryem I find the best thing is to (1) my mind off whatever is stressing me out — reading or (2) a TV show usually helps! How about you?
	Ling I've been trying to practice mindfulness lately when I get really stressed and it seems to be helping. Do you think you have a good work-life balance?
	Meryem Not really — I've been (3) for months. I find it really hard to (4) boundaries between work and home life.
	Ling It's really important to do that. How do you prioritize your mental health?
	Meryem I'm not very good at it, but I decided recently to get professional (5). I'm learning how to be (6) to myself and look after my mental health.
	Ling That's good to hear. Do you think mental health is as important as physical health?
	Meryem I used to think it wasn't, but I've changed my mind. They both contribute to overall well-being. When one suffers, it (7) the other.
	Ling No doubt. Do you think attitudes around mental health are changing?
	Meryem There's definitely more (8) now, but I know that some people see it as a weakness and are not willing to talk about it. And that's understandable too.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 8

Answer Pool (Questions 1-8)

kind
affects
watching
set
exhausted
take
awareness
help

Exercise 7

Conversation

Have a conversation based on these questions. Don't forget to ask your tutor some questions too!

How do you deal with stress?

Do you have a good work-life balance?

How do you prioritize your mental health?

Do you think mental health is as important as physical health?

Do you think attitudes around mental health are changing?