Lesson 184: Physical and Emotional Health

Caring for Our Physical Bodies

Observing the Laws of Physical Health

Our physical bodies are an incredible gift from a loving Heavenly Father. We honor this gift by making wise choices in caring for our bodies. This lesson can help students show gratitude to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by caring for their physical bodies.

Possible Learning Activities

Our physical bodies

Note: While teaching this lesson, it is important to remember that this subject can be difficult for some students. Caring for their physical bodies is particularly challenging for those with eating disorders, disabilities, serious illnesses, and other circumstances.

Help students prepare to study this lesson by inviting them to share pressures people feel and attitudes people have about their physical appearances. One way to do this is to write the words Physical body on the board and invite students to share their thoughts about the following questions:

• What are some different pressures people may feel about their bodies?

• What are some different attitudes people have about their bodies?

  Invite students to answer the following questions in their study journal:

• How do you feel about your body? Why?

• How well do you feel you take care of your body? Why?

As you study this lesson, seek inspiration from the Holy Ghost to know how you can care for your physical body.

Truth from the Lord about our bodies

Read the first paragraph of the section “Your Body Is Sacred” in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices ([2022], 23).

• What stood out to you?

  As students share, write any truths they mention on the board. Consider asking students to explain why they feel that truth is important to teenagers today.

  If students do not mention it, add the following truth to the list on the board: Your body is an amazing gift from Heavenly Father.

• How might knowing our bodies are gifts from God affect our attitude about them?

• How might knowing this truth affect how we care for our bodies?

To help students understand this principle and how to care for the gift of our physical bodies, you could separate the handout “Caring for our Physical Bodies” into four learning stations. You might organize the class into small groups that rotate through each learning activity. You could provide a piece of paper that remains at each station for students to complete the writing portion at the end of each section. Then students can read what other groups wrote and add to it

Caring for our Physical Bodies

Our Body Image

• How can the opinions of others influence how we feel about our bodies?

• How are the truths the Lord wants us to know in Genesis 1:26–27 and 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 different from messages we may get from others?

Study the following counsel the Lord gave through President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles looking for what can help with our body image:

Each time you look in the mirror, see your body as your temple. That truth—refreshed gratefully each day—can positively influence your decisions about how you will care for your body and how you will use it. And those decisions will determine your destiny. (Russell M. Nelson, “Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 107)

I plead with you … to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: “You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. … The key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self—[the real you.]” And in the kingdom of God, the real you is “more precious than rubies” [Proverbs 3:15]. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “To Young Women,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 29)

• What did you learn from these statements?

Write down something you think the Lord would want you to say to someone who is struggling to feel positive about their body.

Sleep

Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:124, looking for what the Lord taught about sleep.

• Why do you think sleep is important?

Not getting enough sleep can be a significant health problem. Most experts recommend teenagers get between 8–10 hours of sleep a night (see National Sleep Foundation, “How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?,” Oct. 1, 2020, thensf.org). Insufficient sleep can leave a person tired, functioning poorly, and vulnerable to physical and mental health issues. Feeling tired can make us more susceptible to temptation.

• How have you seen sleep habits affect your life?

• How could healthy sleep habits improve our ability to serve the Lord?

Discuss with your group advice you would give to someone who wanted to improve their sleep habits or whom you would recommend they go to for advice. Write your thoughts on the paper provided.

Exercise and an Active Lifestyle

Being idle refers to wasting our time, being lazy, or avoiding work. Read one or two of the following verses, looking for the Lord’s feelings about His children being idle: Doctrine and Covenants 42:42; 60:13; 75:3.

• Why do you think the Lord wants us to be active and hardworking instead of idle?

• How has the Lord blessed you when you have tried to be active and hardworking?

• How could exercise and an active lifestyle improve our mental health? How could this help us serve the Lord?

Write down your advice for a teenager who desires to improve their exercise and activity levels.

Healthy Eating Habits

Read the following verses, looking for the Savior’s counsel regarding healthy food choices: Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–20; 89:10–16.

• What impact do our food choices have on our lives?

Discuss some of the obstacles to healthy eating. Share some ways we can seek the Lord’s help and overcome these obstacles.

• What long-term benefits could there be in following the Savior’s counsel about eating well while you are young?

As a group, write three lists titled “Avoid,” “On Occasion,” and “Healthy.” Working together, choose some common foods you see every day. Discuss which category might be appropriate for that food.

Following the rotations, invite students to share what they learned and any concerns they may have. The following questions may be useful:

• Why can it be challenging to develop healthy habits and properly care for our bodies?

• How do you think remembering that our bodies are gifts from God could help?

• How has the Lord helped you or someone you know develop healthy habits?

Invite the class to share truths or experiences that may help with the challenges or concerns students mention.

To conclude, invite students to write in their study journal what they feel the Lord would like them to do to better care for their bodies

Additional Resources

For what purpose were we given physical bodies?

President Russell M. Nelson, a former heart surgeon, taught:

The longer I live, the more knowledge I gain. That knowledge helps me to understand that the gift of our physical bodies is a transcendent miracle. A unique body is given to each of us by our loving Heavenly Father. He created it as a tabernacle for our spirits, to assist each of us in our quest to fulfill the full measure of our creation. Our bodies allow each of us to experience the great plan of salvation that He has designed for all His precious children. He wants us eventually to become more like Him and return to live with Him. That great blessing would not be possible without our first receiving a physical body in this probationary estate. (Russell M. Nelson, “Your Body: A Magnificent Gift to Cherish,” New Era, Aug. 2019, 2)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

A consecrated life respects the incomparable gift of one’s physical body, a divine creation in the very image of God. A central purpose of the mortal experience is that each spirit should receive such a body and learn to exercise moral agency in a tabernacle of flesh. … In this fallen world, some lives will be painfully brief; some bodies will be malformed, broken, or barely adequate to maintain life; yet life will be long enough for each spirit, and each body will qualify for resurrection. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Reflections on a Consecrated Life,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 17)

Is there a connection between physical health and other aspects of my life?

Elder Adrián Ochoa of the Seventy explained:

Life can be difficult, and sometimes we may have feelings of anxiety, depression, or lack of self-esteem. But remember that for both physical and emotional health, exercise and hard work help to maintain a positive perspective. Taking care of your body also blesses your mind and helps you to remember that you are a child of God and can be confident and happy. Our emotional, physical, and spiritual sides are all linked together. (Adrián Ochoa, “Be Strong, Be Healthy, Be Smart,” New Era, Oct. 2013, 42)

Bishop Gérald Caussé of the Presiding Bishopric said:

The habits you establish now pertaining to your personal well-being will impact you both temporally and spiritually for the rest of your lives. Your focus should not be on following the vain trends of the world. It is not simply a question of losing some fat here or there or weight lifting an additional twenty pounds to appear as buff as your roommate! The goal is to feel better and to find a temporal and spiritual equilibrium. This will give you the best chance to have a lifetime of good health, which in turn will bring you joy and confidence in your mortal abilities and a better awareness of your eternal potential. (Gérald Caussé, “Harmony of Body and Spirit: A Key to Happiness” [Brigham Young University devotional, Oct. 13, 2020], 5, speeches.byu.edu)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Who are we and what is our destiny?

To help students understand how the eternal perspective of their divine identity can help them with their body image you could show the video “Our True Identity” (3:39). Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares the story of the ugly duckling to help us understand who we really are, especially to our Heavenly Father. (This video is also included in the lesson titled “Divine Identity and Purpose.”)

Personal hygiene

It may be useful to discuss personal hygiene with your class, keeping in mind not all areas of the world have the same norms or access to hygiene products. If you choose this activity, you could invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 42:41, looking for the Lord’s words about cleanliness. One way we can care for the marvelous gift of our body is to practice good personal hygiene.

On a scale of 1 (rarely) to 5 (often) invite students to silently ponder how well they take care of their own personal hygiene. This might include the following:

• Wash your hands with soap and water regularly.

• Floss and brush your teeth daily.

• Bathe and wash your hair regularly.

• Wash your clothes regularly.

Invite students to imagine they were asked to organize a personal hygiene booth or presentation for a Church activity. Invite them to discuss the blessings of personal hygiene and how it can help us show gratitude to Heavenly Father.