Everyone experiences stress
at some time or another. That’s why it’s so important to know how to
effectively manage stress. The more options you have for keeping stress under
control, the better you will be able to cope with the stressors you experience
throughout your daily life.
Practice two or more of the following stress
management techniques in class:
Deep Breathing
When
you’re under stress, muscles tense and breathing becomes shallow and rapid.
When you breathe slowly and deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm
down. The brain then sends this message to your body. Deep breathing increases
the oxygen available to your body and produces a relaxed feeling. Practice this
technique a few times each day, and deep breathing will become a tool you can
use to help you relax whenever you feel stressed.
Example:
•
Sit in a comfortable position and take a few breaths. Notice
how your belly pushes out as your lungs fill with air, and how it naturally
goes back in as the air leaves your lungs.
•
Then take some deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 6.
Pause for a count of 3. Then breathe out for another count of 6.
•
Do this 20–30 times.
OR
try Square Breath
(teacher led – very simple!):
- Breathe in to a count of 4
- Hold for a count of 4
- Breathe out to a count of 4
- Pause for a count of 4
- Repeat
Progressive
Muscle Relaxation
This
is a good technique to use any time you’re tense. Progressive means something
that happens a little bit at a time. In this technique, you tense different
muscle groups one at a time and then let them relax. The tension helps the
muscles relax more deeply when you let go.
Example:
•
Start with your toes. Curl them under a far as you can.
Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.
•
Then move to your ankles. Bend your feet toward your body
as far as you can. Hold for 5 seconds then relax.
•
Continue to move up your body, tensing different muscle
groups, holding for 5 seconds and then relaxing. Do this with your thighs,
hips, abdomen, back, shoulders, elbows, hands, neck and face. Notice how your
body feels as you tighten and relax the different muscles.
•
End by tightening all the muscles in your body for 10
seconds and then relaxing. All your muscles should now be more relaxed.
OR
– watch this video to have them lead you through some PMR:
Close eyes
when beginning
Instant
Relaxation Technique
- Take a very deep breath and hold it in.
- Tense every muscle in your body for 5-10 seconds.
- Release every muscle as you slowly exhale.
Drawing/Coloring
Have
students take out a blank paper and pencil/color pencils and draw/color for
five minutes.
Relaxing Music
Nature sounds
Guided Meditation
https://youtu.be/gdEZugEqST8 (4:17)
Guided
Imagery
Deep
breathing and progressive muscle relaxation reduce stress by helping your body
relax and calm down. Guided imagery is a way to help your mind do the same thing.
In guided imagery, you picture a calm place and imagine a restful experience.
Example:
•
Choose a place you’re familiar with and one that you find
beautiful or that feels safe. You might picture a deserted beach, a green
meadow or a quiet place in your home.
•
Close your eyes and imagine yourself leaving wherever you
are at the moment and going to the calm, safe place you’ve chosen.
•
See yourself in that place, with all your senses
experiencing the sights, sounds, smells and other details. Really imagine what
you’d see, hear, smell and feel on your skin in that place.
•
Picture yourself relaxing in the place—you might lie down
on the beach or the grass, sit on a bench or in a tree, wrap a warm blanket
around you—whatever helps you feel calm and safe.
•
Stay in this imaginary place until you feel fully relaxed.
Then slowly picture yourself leaving it and coming back to where you actually
are, knowing that you can return any time you want to relax.
Physical
Activities
Being physically active is a
good way to help manage the stress in your life. Here’s why:
•
Doing some form
of aerobic activity that makes your heart rate and breathing increase and works
your heart and lungs for about 30 minutes causes your brain to release
endorphins. Endorphins are natural chemicals that help people feel good and
balance the effects of stress.
•
Endorphin levels
have been found to stay higher even after physical activity has ended. So a
person continues to feel good after working out and moving the body.
•
People who are
physically active every day cope better with stress and sleep more soundly at
night.
Examples:
Stand up – stretch – wiggle
– sit back down
Dance party!
Tai Chi (https://youtu.be/vHBR5MZmEsY)
Time Management (discussion only)
A lot of daily stress can be
reduced or even prevented if you learn how to make the best use of your time and
be organized. Here are some things you can try:
•
Plan ahead.
•
Make a list of
things you need to do. Circle what you need to do first, or put things in order
from most to least important.
•
Make sure you
have all the materials you need before starting a project.
•
Don’t wait until
the last minute to start something.
•
Do a little at a
time. Break big tasks into smaller steps.
•
Work with a
friend to help a task go faster or be more fun.
•
Focus on what
you need to do. Don’t let yourself get distracted. For example, you might turn
off your phone or the TV.
•
Allow extra time
to get to appointments or places you need to be.
Talking About It (discussion only – of the skill, not
specific examples)
Talking to someone about
what’s causing you stress is another technique you can use. Sometimes just describing
or sharing your feelings about a stressful situation to a friend or trusted
adult can help you feel better. Let the person know if you need him or her to
just listen and understand your feelings, or if you’d like help thinking of
things you could do to relieve the stress. Talking to others can also help you get
more information or come up with ways to help prevent stress in the future.
Some ways you could
start:
•
“I’m really
stressed about this situation. Could I tell you about it?”
•
“I don’t know
what to do for this assignment. Could I run some ideas by you?”
•
“What do you do
when you’re feeling stressed? Could you give me some ideas?”
•
“Could you give
me more information about...?”
