Overview
Effectively managing stress and demonstrating self-care are essential skills for students to succeed in academic environments and beyond. This section includes materials to help students increase self-awareness of their emotional states, evaluate different responses to stressors, and plan ahead to manage the inevitable demands on their time and energy.
Objectives
Students should be able to:
- Understand the impact of stress on student success and the importance of self-care;
- Apply several techniques used to manage stress;
- Apply appropriate stress-reduction strategies from individual practices to accessing support systems, and
- Recognize signs of stress in themselves and others.
Introductory Questions
- What is “stress” and how do you know when you are experiencing it? Do you feel it physically and emotionally?
- How does stress impact you? Can you describe the effects stress has on you? Your loved ones?
- How do you currently manage your stress/well-being?
- What does the term “self-care” mean to you? Do you practice self care? If not, why; if yes, how?
Suggested Class Sequence(s)
Class sequences are connected topics with activities, worksheets, and readings which take two or more days of class to complete.
Strategies for Coping With Stress Sequence
In this sequence of activities, students reflect on the nature of stress as well as their own relationship to stressors. Students brainstorm specific responses to different scenarios, distinguishing between positive and negative responses. Students reflect on strategies to cope with stress they can apply to their own lives.
Videos
Short videos help tap into multiple modes of learning and can provide a good introduction to a topic. Use captioning when possible.
- How stress affects your brain – Madhumita Murgia(4:15, cc)
This illustrated video describes how chronic stress can affect the brain even on the genetic level. - How stress affects your body – Sharon Horesh Bergquist(4:42, cc)
This illustrated video gives us a look at what goes on inside our body when we are chronically stressed. - How Stress Drains Your Brain — and What To Do About It | Nicole Byers | TED (9:07, cc)
Neuropsychologist Nicole Byers shares the science behind how stress negatively impacts brain function and makes it harder to remember things and easier to make mistakes; includes a simple solution to recharge your brain and get your memory back on track. - Why is it so hard to break a bad habit? (5:03, cc)
This illustrated video explores how habits are formed, and provides tips on how to manage these behaviors. - Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep Every Night? | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter | TED(3:53, cc)
Dr. Jen Gunter discusses alternatives to commercial and high cost sleep solutions.
Readings
All readings should be paired with a structure or protocol, especially if any reading will be completed in class.
- What Is Stress?
This article from Verywellmind discusses different aspects of stress, why they are important to learn about, and some potential responses. - “Positive Ways to Cope with Stress”
Bulleted list of a range of strategies for managing stress. This reading is used in the sequence provided as part of this FYS resource library but can be used on its own as a warm-up activity.
Activities
Activities include individual or group tasks that can be completed in less than one class period; some activities may be repeated in a sequence and are re-listed here for ease of access.
- Stressors and Responses
Students encounter a wide range of stressful events and brainstorm positive and negative responses to the situation. This activity is included in the sequence above but can be used as a standalone activity. - Introvert/Extrovert Scale and Care of Self
Students consider where they fall on the introvert/extrovert spectrum and use this information to reflect on how to improve self-care. - Beating Burnout with Nature
This activity provides occasion for students to spend time outside and reflect on how it impacts one’s physical and mental health.
Resources
- “Coffee Caffeine Calculator: How Much Is Too Much?”
This resource by Caffeine Informer allows the user to choose from popular coffee drinks and discover the optimal safe amount of this drink for their body weight. - “Student Mental Health Toolkit”
This virtual Toolkit by Stigma-Free Mental Health Society, which is divided by grades 4-7, and 8-12, allows educators and school counselors to share documentary videos, mental health topics and personal stories along with interactive components for youth in their classrooms, or at home. - “Build a Teen Stress Management Plan”
This webpage by Center for Parent and Teen Communication discusses the cause of stress and offers help in creating a stress management plan for teens. - “I’m So Stressed Out!”
This fact sheet by National Institute of Mental Health discusses the differences between stress and anxiety, and offers guidance and resources for managing stress.
Share Content
- Click on this link to access our submission form that will guide you through submitting your materials. The form is designed to make submitting your content straightforward and ensure your contribution aligns with our platform’s style and goals. On the form you will find:
- Clear definitions of each type of submission you might contribute, whether it’s a video, reading, sequence, standalone activity, or resource.
- Guidelines for writing descriptions specific to each type of submission, such as what to emphasize for standalone activity descriptions versus readings.
- Instructions on proper documentation and linking to ensure credits are correctly attributed.
- Annotated examples of each type of submission to help you visualize what a complete submission looks like.
- Please note: We may make minor adjustments to enhance clarity or structure, like refining steps, directions, or adding reflection questions, but we’ll keep the original intent intact.
