Life Skills PPT PDF

Life Skill.  What is life skill? A skill is the learned ability to perform an action with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. It is the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performa...

Life Skill.  What is life skill? A skill is the learned ability to perform an action with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. It is the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance. Life skills are abilities for adaptive and  Concepts of Life Skills life skills are psychological competences and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with managing their lives in a healthy and productive manner. Life skills may be directed toward personal actions that alter the surrounding environment to make it conducive to health. Concepts of Life Skills Life skills include: Our ability to appropriately experience, display and perceive emotional states and relates these to the events and environments where they occur. Life skills also include relationship and communication skills, negotiation and conflict management skills that enable us to interact appropriately with other individuals and function within society in a meaningful way.  Self-Awareness / Knowing Your Self 1. Knowing and Living with One self  What is self? Self can be defined as: An essential personality aspect that organizes one‘s thoughts, feelings and action or having three components which are: Natural self containing the genetic ability, instincts, drives and potentialities, The learned self which contains things one has learnt as a result of social interactions and then The choosing self contains choices. Knowing one-self is an important first step to living a healthy life style. Why Develop Self Awareness? To make changes in the thoughts and interpretations you make in your mind. To change the interpretations in your mind It allows you to change your emotions. Self-awareness is one of the attributes of Emotional Intelligence and an important factor in achieving success.  Self awareness Gives a better insight to yourself. Helps to organize the information we had already in our mind. It brings the information which was dormant to the awareness level. Gives to see others opinions and widen our view to understand others. Makes us passionate and energetic so that thinking process will be enhanced. Gives an opportunity to practice  Self awareness cont’d Self-awareness: The overall understanding a person has about his /her identities (physical, emotional, cognitive images, strengths and weaknesses, etc.). Self-awareness is the first step in creating what you want and mastering yourself.  Self awareness cont’d Note: Having self awareness allows you to see where your thoughts and emotions are taking you.  It also allows you to see the controls of your emotions, behavior, and personality so you can make changes you want. Key Areas for Self-Awareness Key areas for self-awareness include our personality traits, personal values, habits, emotions, and the psychological needs that drive our behaviors. Key Areas cont’d Personality: , an understanding of our personalities can help us find situations in which we will thrive, and help us to avoid situations in which we will experience too much stress.  Key Areas cont’d Values: Values are strong beliefs about important issues in life. Values guide our behavior and give purpose and direction to our life. Values are influenced by traditions, religion, massmedia, social and political situations. Values help people to decide how to behave and interact with others. It's important that we each know and focus on our personal values. When we focus on our values, we are more likely to accomplish what we consider most important. Personal values are the things that are important in the way that you live and work. They are the things that: Are important to you in life. You think are right and wrong. Hut You think are good and bad. You think are desirable or not. You think are worthwhile or not. You think are acceptable or not.  Self-Concept –(Self-perception, Self-esteem)  Self-concept is made up of a person‘s perceptions of him/herself both internally and externally (body image.)  Self -esteem is the sense of worth you attach to yourself. It is the way you assess yourself and feel about yourself.  It includes accepting oneself, admitting one’s strengths and short coming and taking responsibility for once actions.  Self-esteem affects our trust in others, our relationships, and our work – nearly every part of our lives. Individuals with Positive and Negative Self Concept Positive Self-Concept Feel good about themselves; Accept the thing about themselves that can’t changes; Are confident that they can change the things about themselves that need changing; Like who they are; Have a happy outlook on life; Don’t let setback get them down; and Don’t worry unduly about what other people say. Negative Self-Concept  Worry about their short coming and failures ;  Dwell on their past mistakes;  Are afraid to try anything new;  Are always putting themselves down “I can’t do this”; and Note:  People with good self awareness are acutely aware of the impact their interconnectedness has on others and the systems around them. They can change their behavior according to a particular person or situation.  Others that have not developed a good sense of self- awareness can easily transfer their likes, dislikes and preferences onto others;  Feel worthless. Activity Who are you? Exploring Strengths:  What tasks or activities come naturally to me?  What achievements am I most proud of?  What do others often compliment me on?  What energizes me and makes me feel confident?  What skills have helped me succeed in the past?  What challenges have I overcome, and how did I handle them?  What do I enjoy doing, even when it's difficult or time-consuming? Exploring Weaknesses: What tasks or activities do I struggle with consistently? What constructive feedback have I received from others? What situations make me feel anxious or unprepared? What habits or behaviors do I think hold me back? What skills do I wish I were better at? When have I failed to meet expectations, and why? What do I often delay or postpone a task or How to Improve Self- Concept a. Take a look at your qualities b. Learn to give and accept compliments c. Develop new interests d. Develop a positive attitude e. Learn to smile and laugh  Self-Esteem Exercise: Who am I? I am ………  Self -esteem  Is the sense of worth you attached to yourself.  It is the way you assess yourself and feel about yourself.  It includes accepting oneself, admitting one strengths and short coming and taking responsibility for once actions.  Self-esteem is also defined as the experience of being capable of meeting life‘s challenges and being worthy of happiness.  What is Low Self-Esteem? How it affects the life of oneself potential? What is High Self-esteem? Following are some features of high self-esteem:  Confidence ;  Self-direction ;  Non-blaming behavior ;  An awareness of personal strengths;  An ability to make mistakes and learn from them;  An ability to accept mistakes from others ;  Optimism;  An ability to solve problems;  An independent and cooperative attitude ;  Feeling comfortable with a wide range of emotions ;  An ability to trust others;  A good sense of personal limitations;  Good self-care; and  The ability to say “NO” Self-Confidence Self-Confidence: is a belief in yourself and your abilities, a mental attitude of trusting or relying on yourself. Characteristics of persons with high self-confidence:  Carryout their duties with great endurance;  Know, accept their limitations and try to change their limitations;  Focus on what they can and what is on their hand;  Have great control of their feelings;  Have confidence in their abilities.  Believe that they can do whatever they can.  Able to lead their life.  Feel responsible and accountable for any problem that they are part of it.  Work hard to fulfill their goals.  Cont’d Characteristics of those with low self- confidence: Feel inferior to others. Focus on the negative aspect of anything than positive. Feel bad about themselves. Do not accept themselves. Always look for perfection, absolutism. Give high critics to self. Feel that there are risks on every activity. Like to blame others (people, situations). Ways to develop feeling of self- confidence Know that success can breed self- confidence; Appreciate and see successful people and models; Focus on problems that one can be victorious; Being patient; Evaluate ones strong and weak sides; Accept good and encouraging opinion; Identify and know those things which will How you can improve your Low self-esteem  Low self-esteem feeds on negative messages and thoughts so do not treat in self-criticism  You can choose to please yourself before others  Do not try to be like someone else.  See yourself more than the problems you face.  Focus on your needs and desires  Focus on your successes  Use positive affirmations and quotes.  Use visualization  Focus on your strengths  Develop and work at achieving your goals.  Do your best at everything you try.  Feed your brain  Spend time with people who  make you feel good about yourself  Take good care of your body. NOTE Positive self-esteem gives us the strength and flexibility to take charge of our lives and grow from our mistakes without the fear of rejection. Needs: Maslow and other scholars have identified a variety of psychological needs that drive our behaviors such as needs for esteem, affection, belongingness, achievement, self-actualization, power and control. MASLOW‘S NEEDS HIERACHY  MASLOW‘S NEEDS cont’d Physiological needs According to Maslow‘s need hierarchy a person needs shelter, food, and sleep and of cause sex which is the last thing and can always be delayed. This stage is for immediate survival and comfort. Safety and security — Long term survival and comfort This step would be more meaningfully sought after completing academic years.  MASLOW‘S NEEDS cont’d  Love and belonging – Affiliation and acceptance  Family love and being with a group, being understood, being cared for, being intimate – this is optional and one should apply assertiveness  Esteem — Recognition and achievement  Setting goals and achieving them, mastering something difficult.  Self-actualization — Fulfilling all one‘s potentials  This is a long-term goal when one is experiencing life fully, developing one‘s unique values and capacities. Emotions:  Emotional self-awareness is one aspect of self-awareness that determines our drives, actions and reactions.  Understanding your own feelings, what causes them, and how they impact our thoughts and actions is also emotional self-awareness.  A person with high emotional self-awareness understands the internal process associated with emotional experiences and, therefore, has greater control over them.  The strong feelings or emotions that adolescents and young adults usually deal with are: love, anger, and fear. Body image:  Cognitive growth and physical development affect it.  It is made up of a person‘s perceptions of the body both internally and externally. Some people may conceive themselves as fat, short, ugly, thin, and unattractive. These negative perceptions may lead to unhealthy life styles and risky behavior.  Delaying Gratification  It is natural and normal for us to feel sexually aroused by something or someone. This can happen at any time and does not mean that we are looking for sex.  The way people dress, the way they smile, walk and talk can stir feelings of attraction and desire inside others. This is just our sexuality expressing itself it is our body’s way of acknowledging ourselves and others as sexual beings.  Love is not equal to sex. Delaying sexual gratification and working on loving relationship may help build strong relationship.  Anger  Anger is the emotional expression that has physiological, psychological and social component.  Everyone experiences anger—it’s a completely normal emotion, and it’s healthy within limits. But as we know, anger can become a problem when it gets out of control. Some people describe anger as a “secondary emotion”.  This means that anger is a response to a primary emotion, such as hurt, fear, or sadness.  Managing Anger There are a number of approaches to deal with your anger:  Self and others awareness – ask what? why?  Increase your internal locus of control  Use problem solving/conflict resolution  Better communication - assertiveness  Develop relationship  Use conflict resolution strategies  Mindfulness and self-care  Learn relaxation training  Use humor  Changing your environment  Forgiveness  Habits Habits: Our habits are the behaviors that we repeat routinely and often automatically. Although we would like to possess the habits that help us to interact effectively with and manage others, we can probably all identify at least one of our habits that decrease our effectiveness.  We are what we repeatedly do.  Ways to deal with habits There are a number of approaches to deal with your habit  Identify the habit.  Make the decision, and then the commitment, to change.  The longer you put off taking action, especially where health is concerned, the unhealthier you, or the situation, will get.  A conscious commitment is necessary because that's what it takes to get the wheels of motion in action.  Discover your triggers and obstacles.  Devise a plan. Work on one good habit to eliminate the bad one and setting specific goal is important to measure it.  Employ visualization and affirmations. Imagining yourself carrying out the correct behaviors and affirming oneself with the right mindset makes it easier to adopt new  Intrapersonal Skills Intrapersonal skills are skills which are found in ourselves that enables us to communicate and manage things with in our selves Critical thinking:- is one of the skills to solve problems and the ability to exercise careful evaluation or judgment in order to determine the authenticity, accuracy, worth, validity or value of something and make appropriate decisions concerning one’s situation. Critical thinking comprises a number of different skills that help us learn to make decisions. It is the ability to evaluate information to determine whether it is right or wrong.  Benefits of thinking critically you are able to raise vital questions and problems, as well as formulate and present them clearly you can gather and assess information and interpret it effectively You can reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions to problems while testing them against relevant criteria and standards You can be open-minded you can clearly communicate ideas, positions, and solutions to others Characteristics of critical thinker Looking for opportunities to use reasoning Confident in reasoning ability Innovativeness Intellectually curious Wants to know the truth Aware that real problems are complex Open to other points of view Aware of biases and predispositions  Decision Making Decision-making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision-maker. Decision-making is the process of sufficiently reducing uncertainty and doubt about alternatives to allow a reasonable choice to be made among them. Very few decisions are made with absolute certainty because complete knowledge about all the alternatives is seldom possible. Thus, every decision involves a certain amount of risk. Cont’d The popular strategy for decision-making/problem solving is called FAST.  F: Freeze and think -What is the problem?  A: Alternatives - What are my possible solutions?  S: Solution Evaluation - Choose the best alternative: Safe? Fair?  T: Try it - Slowly and carefully  NOTE: The major challenge of decision making is uncertainty.  What is Problem? A Problem is something that hinders human beings from fulfilling their needs and/or wishes. Problems always exist and are faced by all without difference in age, sex, race and educational level. But the kinds and seriousness of the problems as well as their solving strategies vary. Problems could be sources of innovation.  Problem solving It is the process of taking corrective action in order to meet objectives. It is a skill that is highly related to decision making skills of an individual. Solving a problem requires critical thinking and decision making. Some problems related to students in the university are: Negative peer pressure, Lack of motivation Lack of assertiveness Lack of communication skill Unfavorable environment GBV and harassment Problems related to reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, drug use etc… We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we creating them (Albert Einstein) Ways to Enhance Your Problem Solving Skills Focus on the solution – not on the problem Have an open mind View problems neutrally Think critically Use language that creates possibility Simplify things Goal setting A goal is an aim that somebody wants to achieve. The process of setting goals helps you to choose where you want to go in life. Goals give you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses your acquisition of knowledge and help you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life and campus life specifically. Classification of Goals Depending on the length of time needed to accomplish, goals are classified into the three Short-term goals: These are goals achieved within a short period of time. It may take a day, week, or month. Medium-term goals: These are goals accomplished within months to 5 years. Long-term goals: The goal that would be reached within 5 years or takes more than 5 Cont’d When setting a goal your goal should be SMART S – Specific M-measureable A – Achievable R – Realistic T – Time bound Academic Skill are skills which help students learn how to be a more effective learner. Study Skills Being successful in university requires a high level of study skills. It is also an obvious fact that students success in higher learning institution depends on their ability to study effectively and efficiently. Studying involves learning a complex set of skills, such as note taking, test taking, etc., that must be practiced in order for you to become a good student.  Hence students must first learn these skills, practice them and develop effective study habits in order to be successful. Hence developing an effective study skill is going to be about yourself, your time and your future. There are no magic formula to be successful in life; success requires hard work and work discipline. Here is some general techniques that seems to produce good results. Study Schedule The purpose of scheduling is to free students from academic inefficiency and anxiety, wasting time, hasty last minute study, etc. Preparing study schedule Prioritize your time Plan your study Keep a weekly and monthly schedule plan Daily study time schedule Organize Your Study Area Strategies for Effective Study Survey  Get the overall picture of what you are going to study. It takes only a few minutes. Glance quickly at the chapter title, the introduction, headings, and summary paragraphs, if any. Notice any bold print, pictures, diagrams, graphs, tables, etc. Question  Before you begin reading a section, turn the heading into a question. For example, if the heading is causes for GBV, your question would be "What are the causes of GBV?" Read  Read the material under the heading with the purpose of getting the answer to your question.  Identify the main ideas and highlight or underline them. Read sections at a time and stop to ask questions. Jot down notes and ask yourself what you just read. If you can answer your question, read on. If not, look it over again. Recite  This step requires that you recite out loud. Without looking the material, say what you have covered in your reading in your own words. 2. Reading Skills Improving your reading skills will reduce unnecessary reading time and enables you to read in a more focused and selective manner. To improve your reading skills you need to: o Have clear reading goals: o Choose the right texts: o Use the right reading style o Use note taking techniques Kinds of Reading Skills  Word attack skills- let the reader figure out new words.  Comprehension skills- help the reader predict the next word, phrase, or sentence quickly enough to speed recognition.  Fluency skills -help the readers see larger segments, phrases, and groups of words as wholes.  Critical reading skills -help the reader to see the relationship of ideas and use these in reading with meaning and fluency. Styles or Techniques of Reading  Scanning: for a specific focus  Skimming: for getting the general idea of something  Extensive reading: longer texts for pleasure and needing global understanding  Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately  Active reading: When you are reading for your course, you need to make sure you are actively involved with the text. It is a waste of your time to just passively read. Tips for active reading: Underlining and highlighting Note key words Pre-reading question (before reading the whole book) Make your own summaries 3. Note Taking Skills Note is important points which people assume to record and read it in the future. An effective way of taking notes during lecture time helps to: Attend attentively and encourage learning. Identify and understand key ideas. Keep a record of information for future use. Prepare for examinations. Interpersonal Skills Are skills used to communicate with others Communication Skill  Interpersonal communication refers to an exchange of messages between two or more people. It is one’s ability to convey a message to someone else in such a way that the other person gets the message clearly. When the receiver responds in accordance with the message conveyed, effective communication will be ensured. Building Blocks to Effective Verbal Communication 1. Listening 2. Praising 3. Feeling 4. Using “I” statement 4. Respecting 5. Trusting 6. Affirming 7. Reflective listening 8. Clarifying 9. Acting (Non-verbal) 10 Non-judgmental Assertiveness skill Assertiveness is an important skill for getting along with others. Being assertive means standing up for yourself and being straightforward and honest with yourself and others about what you need and want. Being assertive can help you protect yourself from dangerous situations and can help you resist peer pressure to do things that you are Aggressiveness People who are aggressive are rude and unkind. They do not care about other people’s feelings or rights. Being too aggressive is not very good for your emotional health because, deep down, you will feel bad about being unkind.  Aggressive people break their own health, relationship and materials when they express their anger. Passiveness This involves failing to express our wants, needs or feelings or communicating them in an indirect or apologetic way. When we fail to communicate our concerns or wishes, or express them in a hesitant, joking or self-depreciating way, other people will not know how we feel or will misinterpret our actions. As passive responders we allow others to 'walk over us' (the doormat syndrome). Conflict Resolution Skill Conflict resolution is the “win-win” or “no- lose” method of settling disagreements.  Every relationship has conflicts. However, conflicts do not have to end with someone losing and with both parties hating each other. Conflict resolution styles: Avoiding or denying the conflict: Many prefer to give in rather than fight:. Some people get mad and blame the other person Other people appear to seek a compromise, Take creative and integrative Resisting Peer Pressure  Peer pressure is a term describing the pressure exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change their attitude, behavior and/or morals, to conform to, for example, the group‘s actions, fashion sense, taste in music and television, or outlook on life.  Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is formally a member.  They may also recognize dissociative groups with which they would not wish to associate, and thus they behave adversely concerning that group‘s behaviors. For example: most people who smoke say that they started or continued because of peer pressure. Good and Bad Peer Pressure Good Peer pressure Good peer pressure is being pushed into something that you did not have the courage to do or just did not cross your mind to do. However, as you think about it, it seems like a good thing to do. Good peer pressure can also be a situation when your friends convince you not to do something you were going to do because it was not in your best interest.  Negative Peer Pressure Bad peer pressure is being coerced into doing something that you would not want to do because your friends said that you should.  Friends have a tendency to think that they know what is best for you. If friends are going to tell you what to do, the most basic thing that you can do is to say, No, I donot wish to do that! Or if you want to do it, say, “Yes, give me a try!” This is where you have to be able to say to yourself, “I made a decision and I truly feel that my decision was the correct one.”  Be able to express that repeatedly to all of your friends, and have enough respect for yourself to stand up and not give up. One of the major problems with peer pressure occurs when you get stuck into something that you really did not want to do and subsequently, become addicted to it. So, arm yourself with wisdom and knowledge and some decision-making skills, so you can live your own life and finally accept the consequences of doing or not doing something. For example, in order to resist bad peer pressures, it is possible to classify friends in the following:  Not a Friend— People you usually do not associate with under normal circumstances.  Acquaintance— this group of people includes those that you might see in school, but you do not associate with out of school.  Wannabe Friends — these are people you might want to be friends with for some selfish reasons, such as hoping to be more popular.  True Friends — these are the ones in the small, close group of people that you confide in and you know that they have your best interest in mind. The people in this group are those whose influence on your life makes you a better person.  Knowing whom to listen to and whom to avoid is the biggest step in fighting unwanted, negative peer pressure. Remember that it is your life and your responsibility for determining what you make of it!  Managing Relationships Relationship is an association between two or more people. A quality interpersonal relationship is a relationship that is built on an understanding of oneself and others. The important elements of a fruitful relationship are: Respect Valuing and appreciating the other person – their ideas, opinions, activities, accomplishments, contributions. Realizing that negative criticism, name- calling and ridiculing are harmful. Honesty and Trust Part of being honest is being your true self. To be honest, you need to communicate openly, fully and truthfully. Honesty is communicated when a person’s verbal communication and non- verbal behavior give the same messages. It includes admitting when you are wrong; accepting responsibility for your actions, and bringing up issues or problems. Communication Humans communicate both through using words and through their actions, gestures, facial expressions and other body language. Listening carefully to what the other person says without judging and accepting their feelings, even when we don’t agree with them, are an important part of communicating respect and empathy. In healthy relationships there is a balance between talking and listening. Empathy and Understanding Having empathy means trying to understand the other person’s position and feelings – trying to put yourself in their shoes and see situations from their point of view and understand why they feel the way that they do. Sharing Power Sharing power means that you have ‘power with’ the other person rather than ‘power over’ them. When you share power, you make decisions together; seek solutions to problems that both people agree with; are willing to compromise; have a balance of giving and receiving; and try to share responsibilities and work equally. 79 Zelalem SRH/Gende/Lif skill 01/11/2025