MABALACAT CITY COLLEGE SOCSCI 101 | UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Week No. _8_

Lesson 8: Taking Charge of One’s Health

Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Materials:

SDG 3- Good Health & Well-Being Objects, devices, tech gadgets, or real
objects for content presentation or
SDG 4- Quality Education student activity.

SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 17- Partnerships for the Goal

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain how taking responsibility for personal health

promotes well-being;
2. Identify ways to eliminate different types of stressors, and
3. Write an essay about self-care.

Lesson Preview/Review

Setting Goals for Success.

Overview

On this lesson, learners will value the need for a high level of patience and emotional quotient in order to deal
with everyday stressors. Solution-driven perspective and blame-free attitude accompanied by positive
outlook in life are some of the ways to maintain our well-being.
Concept Notes/Teacher-Led Discussion

Three Domains that Dominate the Self

Based on the domain of biorhythm, the self is dominated by three domains that operate in a cycle. These
domains manifest regularly and one may dominate the other. These domains are physical, intellectual, and emotional.

The physical domain includes coordination, strength, and well-being. The intellectual domain includes alertness,
analytical functioning, logical analysis, memory or recall, and communication. The emotional domain includes creativity,
sensitivity, mood, perception, and awareness.

Taken as a whole and as framework or indicator of health, these domains must be balanced by individuals.
Based on this framework, any imbalance results in incongruence and thus an unhealthy condition.

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Contemporary medicine prescribes that in order to be healthy, one must regularly exercise, control the intake
of unhealthy food, and be in a forgiving mode, so as not to poison one’s mind. If there is a physiological poison, there is
also a psychological poison. In its entirety, such negative on all domains opens the possibility of occurrence of sickness
or disease. To avoid sickness or disease, a positive and proactive score in these domains leads to a healthier life.

There is a reason why physical education is taught at a very young age. There is a reason why there is a need to
educate the youth as early as possible. Foremost, there is a compelling reason why individuals need to know
themselves.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a choice. Suffice it to say that being physically active, intellectual hungry, and
emotionally stable is healthy. This mindset leads to a healthier life and a happier perspective in life.

Personal Health Responsibility

Steinbrook (2006) stated that today, more than ever, personal health responsibility or taking charge one’s own
health is an essential step in disease prevention as well as in protocols for healing and recovery from disease.

Personal health responsibility involves active participation in one’s own health and healing plan through education and
lifestyle changes. Although the concept of personal health responsibility seems simple, it is often overlooked when
people are diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and seeking a quick fix.

One needs to be sensitive the importance of good health. Exercising every day, avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and
illegal drugs, maintaining proper hygiene, having enough rest and sleep, eating on time, and ensuring balanced diet are
a few things that one can do for the body.

People should think more about the prevention of diseases than the cure of these. Diseases may be avoided if
everyone is conscious about what one does since most diseases are acquired as a product of unhealthy lifestyle.

Part of personal health responsibility is knowing one’s family history; this is to determine hereditary illness
which can be avoided in the future. Examples are diabetes and high blood pressure which may be inherited from
parents. Another health responsibility is conducting research on effective herbal medicines and food supplements.
Prescription drugs manufactured in the laboratory are made up of chemicals which can be detrimental to people’s
health.

In the Philippines, several measures have been enacted to instill health awareness and encourage personal
health responsibility like the anti-smoking campaign, discouragement to take medicines without prescription,
encouragement to seek medical assistance and services from licensed physicians, heavier penalty for people caught
selling drugs for abortion, and many others.

Stress

Stress refers to the reaction of our physiological and psychological self to any kind of demand or threat. Right
off the bat, once could already claim that not all stress is negative or unwanted. Sometimes there are positive stresses
that are aptly called eustress. Eustress is a beneficial that can be in the form of physical, psychological, and biological
stimuli. Literally, the GREEK prefix eu means good, hence the word “eustress” means “good stress.”

Bad stress or distress is the exact opposite of eustress. Distress occurs when there is a tension buildup which
becomes unbearable and difficult to cope with.

A stressor is any event that compels a person to adjust or change. Below are the common stressors that are
described as unpleasant and life-threatening:

1. Catastrophic events and life-threatening experiences- are abrupt unforeseen experiences or traumas, such as
natural calamities, military combats, terrorist attacks, accidents, and physical and sexual abuses.
2. Life changes and strains- include separation of parents, illness in the family, change of workplace, transfer of
domicile, and other circumstances that demand people to adjust.

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3. Chronic problems- exist for a long period which include circumstances such as suffering from a serious illness,
having irresponsible neighbors, and failure to acquire a lucrative or high-income job.
4. Everyday hassles- are irritations, pressures, and annoyances that may not be significant stressors by
themselves but whose cumulative effect can be significant. Examples are traffic congestion, waiting in a long
line to get a taxi, or just a had day when everything goes wrong.

Stress tolerance to the ability of an individual to endure stress. An individual’s stress tolerance is dependent on
his or her psychological and physiological constitution; thus, everyone reacts differently to stress. One’s perception
of stress is subjective. A eustress for someone could be a distress to another. The reality is that one cannot really
eliminate stress, but one can manage it.

Several symptoms may be observed from people under stress. Symptoms can be physical, behavioral, or
emotional. Physical symptoms are characterized by one’s inability to sleep, fatigue, headache, cramps, unpleasant
aura, and gastrointestinal problems. Stress also causes aging and malignant diseases like cancer. Emotional and
behavioral symptoms include lack of concentration, irritation, nervousness, panic, lack of appetite in food or too
much intake of food, low level of enthusiasm and desire, and mood swing.

Some people who are unable to properly manage stress are vulnerable to unhealthy habits like drug addiction,
alcoholism, cigarette smoking, or poor diet. When these unhealthy habits persist, those people are led to
undesirable behaviors.

Coping with Stress

People who have adequate coping resources and methods will suffer fewer effects of stressors compared to
those who lack them. In dealing with stressful experiences, people may use coping resources which include money and
time. In relation to this, those individuals who are financially disadvantaged and those who have limited or no time due
to work schedule have lesser chance of eliminating the conditions that stress them.

The effect of stressors can also be eliminated through the use of effective coping methods. Most of these
methods can be classified as problem-focused or emotion-focused (Berstein, Penner, Clarke-Stewart, & Roy,2012,
quoting Folkman, 1986).

Problem-focused coping method involves an attempt to change or eliminate sources of stress. Examples of this
coping method are confrontation, seeking social support, and undertaking careful and deliberate problem solving.
Emotion-focused coping method is aimed at controlling the negative emotional consequences of stressors. Examples of
this coping method are self-control, distancing, accepting, responsibility, and wishful thinking.

Social and Cultural Dimensions of Stress

Culturally and socially, stress is typically viewed negatively. Recent research, ‘however, revealed that stress is a
neutral concept. What was originally seen as a negative factor can now be viewed otherwise.

Similar to existential philosophy, a stress is relative. One’s perception of stress depends on the perspective of
the individual. This perception is always subject to change, what is viewed as an asset can be viewed as liability later on
by another person. A typhoon could be a menace to some but for a rain-starved locality, it could be a blessing.

In the Philippines, there are perennial stressors that frustrate most people. Some of these are the (1) public
transportation and traffic problems, (2) frequent increase in prices of basic commodities and services, and (3) unfinished
projects that cause further traffic congestion and risk to people safety.

Filipinos are aware of the problem in public transport system. For those people who rely on MRT and LRT, it is
an everyday stressor for them to fall in line to get the station, to buy train ticket, and to barge their bodies to get inside
the train which transports passengers beyond in intended capacity. Despite this hassle, why do people prefer to take
the MRT and LRT instead of other modes of transportation? It is because of the traffic problem. Traffic problem is not

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only being experienced in the National Capital Region, it is also present in other parts of the country. Instead of having
enough time to sleep, students and professionals are compelled to travel early in order to avoid traffic congestion
during rush hours. Filipinos know that the number of trains of the MRT and the LRT are not enough to carry the
commuters, let alone the anomalies and frequent mechanical problems that occur.

Another stressor is the frequent increase in prices of basic commodities and services. The prices of rice, meat,
vegetables, sugar, bread, oil, and fish continue to rise. This causes to much stress to Filipino families, especially those
living below the poverty line, as they try to stretch their budget in order to buy these commodities. The price increase
does not go along with the salary increase. In addition to prices of basic commodities, rates of electric and water
consumption also increase. Consumers are stressed each time they hear a notice of increase in water and electricity
rate.

Lastly, roads, manholes, bridges, and other government projects are either left unfinished or taking a long time
to be completed. Some government projects with no warning signs pose road hazards that may cause injury or even
death. Unfinished government projects contribute to the worsening traffic problem and may present hazards to health.

The Need for Self-care and Self Compassion

You cannot give to others what you do not have. Psychologically, before you could take care of others, you
must take care of yourself first. Before you can give something of yourself, you must first be in touch with the different
aspects of yourself. Philosophically and psychologically speaking, a selfless individual does not exist. A simple analogy
would yield that there is always something for someone, there is always an intrinsic motivation and rationale why a
particular deed is done, and there is always a reward or retribution for the individual.

One must first take care of himself or herself before he or she can take care of others. While it is noble to think
of others before oneself, reality pushes one to think of himself or herself first before others.

Self-care refers to all activities that a person does to maintain and improve his or her physical, psychological,
emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. It has five dimensions, namely physical, psychological, emotional, social, and
spiritual self-care.

Physical self-care includes all the activities that one does to maintain and improve his or her physical well-being
like consistently sleeping for at least eight hours, drinking eight glasses of water, eating healthy and nutritious foods,
taking vitamins, and exercising.

Psychological self-care includes all the activities one does to deal or resolve mental health issues, address both
positive and negative emotions, and learn to deal with negative self-talk.

Emotional self-care includes all the activities one does to cope with stress and deal with grief.

Social self-care includes all the activities one does to connect with people valuable to him or her. It means
spending time and having a great time with loved ones and other valuable people including family, friends, neighbors,
schoolmates, professional organization, and many more.

Spiritual self-care includes all the activities one does to strengthen one’s relationship with his or her beliefs. It
also includes meditation and contemplation about one’s purpose of existence according to his or her faith.

Benefits of Self-care

1. Enhanced productivity- When a person distances himself or herself from vices like drinking liquor, smoking,
and gambling, he or she will have more time to focus on his or her goals in addition to improving his or her
physical well-being.
2. Improved vitality- Physical care activities like exercising, eating the right food, drinking enough water, and
getting enough sleep increase resistance to diseases. Unhealthy habits make a person vulnerable to diseases.
3. Enhanced self-esteem- Avoiding self-berating is very important. Negative self-talk is damaging to how one
perceives himself or herself and may lead to anxiety and stress. It is important for a person to discover and
accept who he or she really is and be proud about himself or herself.

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4. Increased self-knowledge- After a person discovers and accepts who he or she is, it is important for him or her
to know what he or she wants and what he or she loves to do. With this, one will be able to live life to the fullest
according to the purpose he or she has.
5. Mindfulness and compassion- Knowing and being good to oneself stems from goodness and compassion one
directs towards other people.

Self-compassion

As Whitney Houston’s famous song goes, “learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” This line reminds
people to love themselves first. In the Roman Catholic belief, one’s body is created in the image and likeness of God and
the body is owned by God; therefore, there is no reason for self-berating, self-recrimination, self-hatred, or self-
flagellation. Other religions also believe that one has no right over his or her body for the body is governed by a higher
being. However, whatever belief one has, he or she has to be kind to himself or herself and accept who he or she is. One
needs to have self-compassion. Self-compassion is defined as showing compassion to oneself. It involves being open to
and moved by one’s own suffering, expressing care, and kindness towards oneself, taking an understanding and
nonjudgmental attitude toward one’s inadequacies and failures, and recognizing that one’s own experience is part of
the common human experience (Neff, 2018)

Some people would perceive themselves as stupid or as fools because of certain actions or decisions they have
made. This act of self-recrimination ruins one’s self-esteem and is a sign of lack of self-respect. Humans are imperfect
beings. They should positively take challenges in life as well as the wrong choices and decisions they made with the
hope of improving themselves so as not to commit the same mistakes twice.

Three Components of Self-compassion

Self-compassion has three main elements, namely self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness (Neff,
2011)

Self-kindness means not being physically and verbally harsh to oneself. Self-beration is a kind of verbal abused
directed to oneself. It involves an act where one blames himself or herself for his or her actions or decisions. Usually,
this is done by stating unkind words to oneself. Self-harm, on the other hand, is the act of harming oneself through
physical means which is both physically and psychologically damaging to an individual.

Common humanity means acceptance that one is an imperfect being, one makes mistakes long with everyone
else, and one does not always get what he or she wants.

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment. One has to turn toward his or her painful
thoughts and emotions in order to embrace himself or herself with compassion.

References
Macayan, J.V., Pinugu, J.N., Castillo, J.C. & Ofalia, B. (2019). Understanding the Self (Outcome-Based Module). C & E
Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City. ISBN: 978-971-98-1071-1CE.

Corpuz, R. M, Estoque, R. S. &Tabotabo, C. V. (2019). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing, Inc. 839 EDSA, South
Triangle, Quezon City. ISBN: 978-971-98-1184-8.

Corpuz, B. B., Lucas, M. D., Borabo, H. L. &Lucido, P. I. (2015). Child and Adolescent Development: Looking at Learners
at Different Life Stages. Lorimar Publishing Incorporated, Quezon City. ISBN 971-685-721-4.

Estrada, A. T. (2011). Developmental Characteristics Of Young Children. REX Bookstore Inc. (RBSI), First Edition,
Sampaloc, Manila. ISBN 978-971-23-5917-0.

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Milagros, F. F. , Mores, E. T. &Mogol, M. A. (2009). General Psychology Simplified. Books Atbp. Publishing Corporation,
Mandaluyong City. ISBN 971-0388-63-9.

OFFICIAL MCC TEACHER’S GUIDE DISCLAIMER

It is not the intention of the author/s nor the publisher of this module to have monetary gain in using the
textual information, imageries, and other references used in its production. This guide is only for the exclusive use
of a bona fide student of Mabalacat City College.

In addition, this teacher’s guide or no part of it thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and/or otherwise, without the
prior permission of Mabalacat City College.

Worksheet 8:
A. Fill in the table with stressors that you constantly encounter and the things you do to cope or deal with those
stressors.

Stressor How to Cope or Deal With It

B. Fill in the table with activities you do that fall under the five dimensions of self-care.

SELF-CARE

Physical Psychological Emotional Social Spiritual

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C. List down activities you are presently doing to take care of your health.

No. Activities
1

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Which of the following activities are you interested in doing in the future?

Group Sports ____

Individual Sports ____
Yoga and Meditation ____
Going to the Gym ____
Journaling, Writing, Blogging ____
Art Activities ____

Reflect and Why?

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D. Write a 300 to 500 word essay about self-care using the title provided.

Learning to LOVE MYSELF

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Compiled by: Prepared by: Recommending Approval: Approvedby:

April Ann L. Galang EDMON Y. SAMPANA, PhD MARILYN S. ARCILLA ,RN, MAN, LPT MICHELLE AGUILAR
- -ONG,DPA
Clerk,IAS Instructor Dean,IAS VPAA