School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Youth Class: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) Presented by: Minister Destiny Marie Morgan, Muslim Ordained Minister
This lesson is educational information and is not legal advice and not medical advice. Laws vary by state. If you are in danger right now, call 911.
Before you start
- This space is private. Nobody sees what you read or answer. Your progress stays on your device.
- We never ask your name. Not here, not on the test, not on the certificate. You write your own name on a certificate after you download it.
- Pass the test at 80% or higher to earn this unit's certificate. Retakes are allowed as many times as you need. Answers are not shown: re-read and try again.
- If you are in danger right now: call 911. If you cannot talk out loud, text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) or call or text 988 any time, day or night.
- This unit teaches everyday care for your mind: feelings, sleep, movement, food and water, and asking for help. Skills and habits only — not a treatment.
The lesson
Part 1. Feelings are signals, not emergencies
Feelings are signals. Like a dashboard light, a feeling tells you something is going on — it does not tell you that you are broken. Happy, sad, angry, scared, lonely, proud: everyone feels all of these. A feeling is easier to carry when you can name it. "I feel left out" is clearer than "I feel bad," and clear words help adults understand you.
Hard days are normal. A bad grade, an argument, a game lost — these can bring a heavy day, and a heavy day usually lifts with rest, time, and people. But there is a difference between a hard day and feelings that stay heavy for weeks, most days, and start to block school, sleep, eating, or being with people you like. That lasting heaviness is a sign to tell an adult and keep telling, not to carry it alone. Part 6 gives you the exact numbers.
Part 2. Sleep — fuel for a growing mind
Sleep is when a growing mind sorts the day, stores what you learned, and resets for tomorrow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sharing guidance from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says adolescents ages 13–18 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night; younger school-age children need more. Enough sleep supports mood and learning.
What helps is mostly routine. Keep bedtime and wake-up time about the same each day, even on weekends. Wind down first: a shower, a book, quiet music. Put screens down before bed — the CDC notes that putting devices away at least an hour before bedtime, and storing phones outside the bedroom, helps sleep. If worries race at night, write them down and tell an adult in the morning.
Part 3. Moving your body and getting outside
Movement lifts mood. When you walk, play, dance, shoot baskets, or ride a bike, your body wakes up and your mind often feels lighter afterward. You do not need a team, a gym, or special gear. A walk around the block counts. Playing outside counts. Stretching in your room counts.
Daylight helps too. Getting outside tells your body what time it is, which helps you feel sleepy at the right time at night. Move a little every day, and notice how you feel after. Movement is not a punishment for your body — it is care for your mind, in a way that feels good to you.
Part 4. Food, water, and rest basics
Your mind runs on what your body gets. Regular meals help energy and mood stay steadier than skipping meals and then feeling shaky or unable to focus. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at regular times is a simple, strong habit. Water helps too: keep it nearby and drink it through the day.
Say this plainly: too much caffeine is unhelpful for sleep and worry. Energy drinks and lots of coffee or soda with caffeine can make it harder to fall asleep and can make a worried feeling feel bigger. Rest is also bigger than sleep: quiet breaks, screen-free time, and something calm you enjoy are rest too. If eating or sleeping changes a lot and stays changed, tell an adult.
Part 5. People help — and how to ask
Nobody is meant to carry hard feelings alone. Friends can listen. Family can help with routines, rides, and meals. Trusted adults — a parent or caregiver, a counselor, a teacher, a coach — can act: change a situation, make a call, or get you more support. Faith and community help too: many young people find comfort in prayer and a caring community.
Asking for help is a skill, and the words can be simple: "I have been feeling really low, and I need help." If talking feels too big, write it down or text it. Here is the most important rule in this unit: tell an adult, and if that adult doesn't help, tell another one. Keep telling until someone acts. Medicines are decided by doctors together with your grown-ups — that's their job, not yours.
Part 6. The safety lines — say them, save them, use them
Read this part twice, because it matters most. If feelings ever scare you, or you ever think about hurting yourself, tell an adult right away and keep telling until someone acts. You can call or text 988 any time, day or night, for free support. You can text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line if typing is easier than talking. In danger right now, call 911.
Hurting yourself is never the answer, and help is real. People answer 988 because helping is their job, and many young people feel steadier after reaching out. You do not need the "right words," or to be sure it is "serious enough." Scared is enough. Worried about a friend is enough, too. Save these numbers today, and use them if you need them.
Words to know — Feelings and Healthy Habits
- Feeling — a signal from your mind and body, like happy, sad, angry, or scared.
- Routine — a regular pattern you follow most days, like the same bedtime daily.
- Sleep — nightly rest when your mind stores learning and your body resets.
- Movement — using your body, like walking or playing; it often lifts mood.
- Caffeine — a substance in energy drinks, coffee, and some sodas that can make sleep harder and worry bigger.
- Trusted adult — an adult who believes you and will act to help you.
- Counselor — a trained adult whose job is to listen and help you find support.
- Crisis — a moment when feelings feel too big or unsafe to carry alone.
- Support — help and care from people, like listening or acting on a problem.
Myths vs facts — Feelings and Healthy Habits
- Myth: Strong people handle every feeling alone. Fact: Asking for help is a skill; everyone needs people sometimes.
- Myth: One bad day means something is wrong with you. Fact: Hard days are normal; feelings heavy for weeks are a sign to tell an adult.
- Myth: Energy drinks fix tiredness. Fact: Too much caffeine can hurt sleep and make worry bigger; sleep is the real fix.
- Myth: If the first adult brushes you off, stop asking. Fact: Keep telling until someone acts.
- Myth: 988 is only for other people. Fact: You can call or text 988 for your own feelings, or about a friend.
Think it through — Feelings and Healthy Habits
Maya has felt tired and low for three weeks. She stays up late on her phone, skips breakfast, drinks an energy drink at lunch, and has stopped playing outside. She told a teacher once, "I'm just tired," and nothing changed. What should Maya do next?
Walk it through: (1) Name the pattern (Part 1): not one hard day — feelings heavy for weeks deserve adult action. (2) Check the basics (Parts 2, 3, and 4): late screens, little sleep, no breakfast, daily caffeine, and no movement are making it bigger. Change a step at a time: screens away before bed, breakfast, water instead of the energy drink, a walk outside. (3) Use the people rule (Part 5): tell another adult with clearer words — "I have felt low for three weeks and I need help" — and keep telling until someone acts. (4) Know the safety lines (Part 6): if feelings scare her, call or text 988, text HOME to 741741, or call 911 in danger.
Cases & codes to study — Feelings and Healthy Habits
This Youth unit studies a law, not a court case — the law that made 988 the number anyone can call.
The law itself — read the real words
- National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (Pub. L. No. 116-172) — the law that made 988 the universal number for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system. Read it: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s2661enr/pdf/BILLS-116s2661enr.pdf
Where to read the real thing, free: Congress.gov (congress.gov) — the official record; govinfo.gov — the official text.
Try this — Feelings and Healthy Habits
- ☐ Save the help lines in my phone: 988, text HOME to 741741, 911, Childhelp 1-800-422-4453
- ☐ Pick a bedtime I can keep most days, and put screens down before bed
- ☐ Move my body and get outside a little every day this week
- ☐ Eat regular meals, keep water nearby, and skip energy drinks
- ☐ Name three trusted adults — and remember to keep telling until someone acts
Resources to keep — Feelings and Healthy Habits
- 911 — in danger right now.
- 988 (call or text) — free support any time if feelings scare you or feel too big.
- Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 — support by text if typing is easier.
- Childhelp: 1-800-422-4453 — help if an adult is pressuring or hurting you.
What you earned / what's next — Feelings and Healthy Habits
✅ Feelings and Healthy Habits complete (quiz score 80% or higher): You can name feelings as signals, build habits that help your mind, ask for help and keep asking, and use the safety lines.
Your certificate
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Certificate of Completion — Feelings and Healthy Habits
This certificate is presented by Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
Awarded to: ______________________________ (write your name here after you download — your name is never collected or stored by this school)
Date completed: ______________
Feelings are signals, small habits are real care, and help is worth asking for — and asking again. I am proud of you. — Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This is a certificate of educational completion from Minister Destiny Testimony Schools. It is not a state license, a government certification, or legal training for representing anyone.
What's next: Return to the Topic Library for your next Year 1 Foundations unit.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — cdc.gov (https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/youth-health-in-focus/sleep.html) — sleep guidance: adolescents ages 13–18 need 8 to 10 hours a night; devices away before bedtime helps.
- National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Pub. L. No. 116-172 (2020) — the law designating 988 as the universal crisis hotline number; verified at Congress.gov (congress.gov), full text at govinfo.gov (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s2661enr/pdf/BILLS-116s2661enr.pdf).
Your Progress — On Your Device Only
- Learning outcomes: On completing this unit, the student can:
- Name feelings as signals and tell a hard day from feelings heavy for weeks
- State how much sleep young people need and name routines that help
- Explain how movement, daylight, meals, and water support mood, and why too much caffeine is unhelpful
- Ask a trusted adult for help and apply the keep-telling rule
- State the safety lines — 911, 988, text HOME to 741741 — and when to use each
- Study time: Approximately 0.5 hours — reading, activities, and the test. Students move at their own pace.
- Assessment: A 10-question test drawn only from this unit's lesson. 80% or higher passes and earns the unit certificate. Answers and scores stay on the student's device; retakes are allowed.
- Level: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) · Youth school · working rank on completion path: Freshman → Sophomore.
- Version: Version 1.0 — October 2026.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Youth. Educational information only, not legal advice. Help lines: 911 · 988 (call or text) · Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) · Childhelp 1-800-422-4453.