SDV 100: Stress Management
Dominion High School Office of School Counseling 21326 Augusta Drive Sterling, VA 20164
SDV 100: Stress Management School Counselor(s): Amodeo, Olinares, Laiti, Patel Date(s): March 17th & 18th, 2016 Grade Level(s): 11th grade students participating in SDV 100 Time Required for Lesson: 45 minutes ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors Addressed: Mindset: 1: Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well‐being Behavior: Self‐Management Skills 7: Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem Learning Objectives: Students will: ‐ Determine what stress means to them. ‐ Identify symptoms of stress. ‐ Identify sources of stress in their own lives. ‐ Learn strategies to reduce stress. ‐ Learn stress management techniques for when they are feeling stressed. Materials & Resources Required: ‐ PowerPoint Presentation ‐ Projector ‐ Notecards ‐ Writing Utensils ‐ Trash can ‐ White Paper to write down responses ‐ Pre and Post Surveys Activity & Procedure: 1. Students will fill out the Pre‐Survey. 2. Counselors will start out by asking “What is stress?” and have students identify symptoms of stress. 3. Have students fill out the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and determine their perceived stress level. Facilitate a conversation about their current stress levels. 4. Counselors will pass out a notecard and have students write down anything that causes them stress. Once finished, students will share their responses as a group. Students will then rip up their notecard into small pieces and the counselor will come around with a trash bin. This activity signifies that the students have control of their stress and can minimize or eliminate their stress using different stress management techniques. 5. Counselor will walk through the remainder of the PowerPoint with students, facilitating conversation along the way about ways to reduce stress and stress management techniques. 6. When counselors get to the “Stress Management Technique” page of the PowerPoint, students will share ways they manage their stress and counselor will write these on white paper in front
Dominion High School Office of School Counseling 21326 Augusta Drive Sterling, VA 20164 of the classroom. Counselor will also pass out the Stress Management Techniques Handout for each student to keep. 7. Students will then fill out the Post‐Survey. Evaluation: Process Data: 26 11th grade students participated in this lesson of SDV 100. Perception Data: Students will take a pre‐ and post‐survey. Outcome Data: This lesson aims to help students recognize what causes them stress and how to reduce stress before it occurs, as well as manage stress when it does occur. It is our hope that less stress in the classroom will coincide with higher academic achievement, as evidenced by grades.
SDV 100 Adapted from University of Arizona: www.life.arizona.edu/.../stressmanagementonline
What is stress? What causes stress? Strategies to reduce stress Stress Management Techniques
Stress is the way that you react physically, mentally and
emotionally to various conditions, changes and demands in your life. We all experience varying levels of stress. High levels of stress can affect your physical and mental well‐being
and academic performance.
headaches
irritability
stomachaches
fatigue
change in appetite
• insomnia
rapid breathing
• anger
rapid heart rate
• inability to concentrate
sweaty palms
LL1
Take a few minutes to think about current sources of stress in your life and
write them down. We will then take a few minutes to share as a group.
Slide 5 LL1
Laura Laiti, 1/25/2016
Uneasiness and distress about future uncertainties (i. e. college, career, etc.) Changes in life’s expectations (i.e. conflict with best friend; family moving
away, etc. ) Disorganization: feeling unprepared and powerless Physical Constraints (i.e. Physical exhaustion, lack of good exercise and diet
strategies) Time constraints (i.e. multiple projects and deadlines)
Take control. Manage your time instead of letting it manage you. Use a to‐do
list, follow a written plan, set goals and follow through. Avoid procrastination, a major cause of stress. Make a realistic list of things
you need to do each day. Do the most important things first. That way, even if you don’t finish the list, you get the most important things done. Take a break. Sometimes it is better to get away from the situation for a short
time. Take a brisk walk, focus on pleasant thoughts. Then, go back to the task feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever it is you have to do.
Put things into perspective. Do not take yourself too seriously. Think positive. “If you think you will fail, or think you will succeed, you
are probably right.” ‐ Henry Ford Get help. See your instructor, get a tutor, and participate in study
groups. Keep in touch with friends and family, and develop a support group.
Physical stress busters Eat right, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest Practice, practice, practice Build your confidence: do extra math problems, practice test‐taking at home, rehearse your speech a couple of times before the presentation
Talk to someone Find someone you trust, discuss the problems and look for solutions Visualize Sit comfortably and think of a favorite place. Imagine yourself in a successful situation. Deep Breathing Sit quietly, and breathe deeply and slowly. Continue for five or six breaths. It is
calming and the extra dose of oxygen increases the brain’s thinking ability.
Exercise!
Stress-Management Techniques
Part 1 Techniques to Relieve Stress
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
(continued) High School • Emotional & Mental Health
©ETR Associates
Stress-Management Techniques (continued)
Part 2 Ways to Reduce or Prevent Stress
Physical Activity 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.
Time Management 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 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...?”
High School • Emotional & Mental Health
©ETR Associates
Pre‐Survey 1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. True False 2. I can identify the causes of stress in my life. True False 3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. True False Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Post‐Survey 1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. True False 2. I can identify the cause of stress in my life. True False 3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. True False Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
SDV 100: Stress Management School Counselor(s): Amodeo, Olinares, Laiti, Patel Date(s): March 17th & 18th, 2016 Grade Level(s): 11th grade students participating in SDV 100 Time Required for Lesson: 45 minutes ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors Addressed: Mindset: 1: Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well‐being Behavior: Self‐Management Skills 7: Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem Learning Objectives: Students will: ‐ Determine what stress means to them. ‐ Identify symptoms of stress. ‐ Identify sources of stress in their own lives. ‐ Learn strategies to reduce stress. ‐ Learn stress management techniques for when they are feeling stressed. Materials & Resources Required: ‐ PowerPoint Presentation ‐ Projector ‐ Notecards ‐ Writing Utensils ‐ Trash can ‐ White Paper to write down responses ‐ Pre and Post Surveys Activity & Procedure: 1. Students will fill out the Pre‐Survey. 2. Counselors will start out by asking “What is stress?” and have students identify symptoms of stress. 3. Have students fill out the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and determine their perceived stress level. Facilitate a conversation about their current stress levels. 4. Counselors will pass out a notecard and have students write down anything that causes them stress. Once finished, students will share their responses as a group. Students will then rip up their notecard into small pieces and the counselor will come around with a trash bin. This activity signifies that the students have control of their stress and can minimize or eliminate their stress using different stress management techniques. 5. Counselor will walk through the remainder of the PowerPoint with students, facilitating conversation along the way about ways to reduce stress and stress management techniques. 6. When counselors get to the “Stress Management Technique” page of the PowerPoint, students will share ways they manage their stress and counselor will write these on white paper in front
Dominion High School Office of School Counseling 21326 Augusta Drive Sterling, VA 20164 of the classroom. Counselor will also pass out the Stress Management Techniques Handout for each student to keep. 7. Students will then fill out the Post‐Survey. Evaluation: Process Data: 26 11th grade students participated in this lesson of SDV 100. Perception Data: Students will take a pre‐ and post‐survey. Outcome Data: This lesson aims to help students recognize what causes them stress and how to reduce stress before it occurs, as well as manage stress when it does occur. It is our hope that less stress in the classroom will coincide with higher academic achievement, as evidenced by grades.
SDV 100 Adapted from University of Arizona: www.life.arizona.edu/.../stressmanagementonline
What is stress? What causes stress? Strategies to reduce stress Stress Management Techniques
Stress is the way that you react physically, mentally and
emotionally to various conditions, changes and demands in your life. We all experience varying levels of stress. High levels of stress can affect your physical and mental well‐being
and academic performance.
headaches
irritability
stomachaches
fatigue
change in appetite
• insomnia
rapid breathing
• anger
rapid heart rate
• inability to concentrate
sweaty palms
LL1
Take a few minutes to think about current sources of stress in your life and
write them down. We will then take a few minutes to share as a group.
Slide 5 LL1
Laura Laiti, 1/25/2016
Uneasiness and distress about future uncertainties (i. e. college, career, etc.) Changes in life’s expectations (i.e. conflict with best friend; family moving
away, etc. ) Disorganization: feeling unprepared and powerless Physical Constraints (i.e. Physical exhaustion, lack of good exercise and diet
strategies) Time constraints (i.e. multiple projects and deadlines)
Take control. Manage your time instead of letting it manage you. Use a to‐do
list, follow a written plan, set goals and follow through. Avoid procrastination, a major cause of stress. Make a realistic list of things
you need to do each day. Do the most important things first. That way, even if you don’t finish the list, you get the most important things done. Take a break. Sometimes it is better to get away from the situation for a short
time. Take a brisk walk, focus on pleasant thoughts. Then, go back to the task feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever it is you have to do.
Put things into perspective. Do not take yourself too seriously. Think positive. “If you think you will fail, or think you will succeed, you
are probably right.” ‐ Henry Ford Get help. See your instructor, get a tutor, and participate in study
groups. Keep in touch with friends and family, and develop a support group.
Physical stress busters Eat right, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest Practice, practice, practice Build your confidence: do extra math problems, practice test‐taking at home, rehearse your speech a couple of times before the presentation
Talk to someone Find someone you trust, discuss the problems and look for solutions Visualize Sit comfortably and think of a favorite place. Imagine yourself in a successful situation. Deep Breathing Sit quietly, and breathe deeply and slowly. Continue for five or six breaths. It is
calming and the extra dose of oxygen increases the brain’s thinking ability.
Exercise!
Stress-Management Techniques
Part 1 Techniques to Relieve Stress
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
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. Here’s how to do it: • 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.
(continued) High School • Emotional & Mental Health
©ETR Associates
Stress-Management Techniques (continued)
Part 2 Ways to Reduce or Prevent Stress
Physical Activity 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.
Time Management 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 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...?”
High School • Emotional & Mental Health
©ETR Associates
Pre‐Survey 1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. True False 2. I can identify the causes of stress in my life. True False 3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. True False Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Post‐Survey 1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. True False 2. I can identify the cause of stress in my life. True False 3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. True False Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
