STRESS & STRESS MANAGEMENT 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 1
STRESS & STRESS MANAGEMENT 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 1
Ms. B-H s Quotes on Stress When you find yourself stressed ask yourself one question:' will this matter in 5 years? if yes then do something about it if no then let it go -Catherine Pulsifer The time to relax is when you have no time for it -Unknown Stress isn t what happens to us it is our RESPONSE to what happens to us
Learning Objectives: 1) Understand what stress is (biologically, physically, emotionally ) 2) Identify the consequences to not managing stress in healthy, appropriate ways 3) Understand the parts of the brain associated with a stress response 4) Identify and discuss healthy, appropriate coping strategies to manage stress
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is the human body s biological & physiological response to real or perceived dangers or life events.
STRESS and the BRAIN
Hormones produced in the brain make us feel the physical affects of stress throughout our bodies Where do you feel stress in your body? Stress and puberty Stress= Working memory
Not all STRESS is BAD! Eustress: is the good stress Motivates you to get things done Excitement for something Adrenaline for a sporting event or competition Stress that HELPS you achieve your goals Distress: is the bad stress Prolonged or persistent worry Unresolved negative feelings Stress that PREVENTS you from doing what you want to do, or causes discomfort
STRESSORS School homework, grades, tests, expectations Social exclusion, gossip, cyber-bullying, drama Change in environment, social groups, in the body Family getting along with parents and siblings Future HIGH SCHOOL, college, who do I want to be?
TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL
What to do about STRESS Our goal cannot be to make all of life s stressors go away--it s impossible and would be unproductive! At times, you may need to try and reduce your stress Most importantly, it s important to develop strategies to manage and cope in times of high stress What are some of things you do to manage your stress?
STRESS reduction ideas Take a warm bath. Count backwards from 100 Take a breathe- 4 or 5 deep, cleansing breaths. Read an engrossing novel. Take a walk. Meditate for 15 minutes. Do gentle, static stretches for 15 minutes. Close your eyes and daydream. Zone out? watch a silly sitcom! Work it out? take and exercise class. Put it in writing write a nasty letter don t mail it! Take a stress management class. Find a hobby you enjoy. Play with a pet? unconditional love! Rehearse how you ll handle a stressful situation before it happens. Keep your sense of humor? laughter is the best medicine. Call a friend. Sit down, take the phone off the hook, close the door relax! Go see a movie.
A feeling of control and a healthy balance in your schedule is a necessary part of managing stress. Learning how to manage your responsibilities, accomplish your goals and still have time for rest and relaxation requires that you practice time management skills. Try setting a specific goal for yourself that will improve your mood and help you reduce stress. Start by filling out a goal-setting worksheet. Avoid procrastination. Putting off assignments or responsibilities until the last minute can create more mental and physical stress than staying on top of them. Procrastination can affect many aspects of daily life, such as the quality of your work, the quality of your sleep, and your mood. To learn more about procrastination, click here. Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help you burn off the energy generated by stress. Practice good sleep habits to ensure that you are well-rested. Sleep deprivation can cause many physical and mental problems and can increase stress. Try mindfulness meditation. Attend this workshop to learn a variety of ways to work more skillfully with the stress and anxiety related to college life. Limit (or eliminate) the use of stimulants like caffeine, which can elevate the stress response in your body. Recognize the role your own thoughts can play in causing you distress. Challenge beliefs you may hold about yourself and your situation that may not be accurate. For example, do you continuously fall short of what you think you should accomplish? When our minds continuously feed us messages about what we should achieve, ought to be, or mustn't do, we are setting ourselves up to fall short of goals that may be unrealistic, and to experience stress along the way. Learn techniques for replacing unrealistic thoughts with more realistic ones.
CLASS ACTIVITY Stress Cause & Ways of Coping worksheet -Each group will be assigned a different scenario. Work as a group to decide what the stressful triggers are and what what are some stress coping strategies that might be helpful in the situation.
MINDFULNESS and other Stress Coping Strategies 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 2
Stress Review Pop-Quiz: 1. True or False: Stress is the body s biological and physiological response to a real or perceived threat or stressor 2. True or False: The prefrontal cortex acts as the brain s security guard and responds to stressors to help keep us safe 3. The amygdala will respond to stress in 1 of 3 ways (all beginning with F ), what are they? 4. True or False: Depending on the stressor, the amygdala may not always respond in a healthy or productive way. It is important to develop ways to manage our stress in healthy and safe ways.
Stress Review Stress is the body s biological and physiological response to a real or perceived danger/threat (stressor). The amygdala is the security guard for the brain and responds to a stressor by releasing chemicals telling the body to fight, flight or freeze. Depending on the situation, the amygdala does not always give us a healthy and productive response to stress, so it is important to find ways to manage and cope with stress in healthy and safe ways. There can be long-term physical as well as emotional consequences to not managing our stress in healthy ways.
Coping Skills Stations: 1) *Breathing: Breathing: Bubble breathing/*pinwheel breathing 2)*Mindfulness/Stress management books 3). *Zen coloring 4). *Zen gardens 5).*Chair yoga 6).*Time management tips Assorted stress relievers: aroma therapy, salt lamps
Breathing Focusing on the breath helps calm the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and sharpening focus. Supports strong functioning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex) Lessens anxiety by overriding the fight, flight, freeze response in the amygdala
MINDFULNESS I
MINDFULNESS IS PAYING ATTENTION IN A PARTICULAR WAY; ON PURPOSE, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND NON-JUDGMENTALLY JON KABAT-ZINN Mindfulness is about focusing on the here and now.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT MINDFULNESS? Because it helps people to Improve athletic skills Have more energy Prevent against stress related sicknesses Improve memory Improve your concentration and attention Reduce your stress Feel happier and healthier Exercise and improve your brain functioning
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Chair Yoga
HOMEWORK At least five entries in your Stress Diary
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is the human body s reaction to real or imagined dangers or life events.
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is how you deal with all the stuff that is happening around you. When you find yourself stressed ask yourself one question:' will this matter in 5 years? if yes then do something about it if no then let it go -Catherine Pulsifer Stress is worry. Stress has both physical and mental affects. The time to relax is when you have no time for it -Unknown Stress isn t what happens to us it is our RESPONSE to what happens to us
STRESS and the BRAIN
Hormones produced in the brain make us feel the physical affects of stress throughout our bodies Where do you feel stress in your body? Stress and puberty
Not all STRESS is BAD! Eustress: is the good stress Motivates you to get things done Excitement for something Adrenaline for a sporting event or competition Stress that HELPS you achieve your goals Distress: is the bad stress Prolonged or persistent worry Unresolved negative feelings Stress that PREVENTS you from doing what you want to do, or causes discomfort
STRESSORS School homework, grades, tests Friendships exclusion, gossip Change in environment, social groups, in the body Family getting along with parents and siblings Future HIGH SCHOOL, college, who do I want to be?
TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL
What to do about STRESS Our goal cannot be to make all of life s stressors go away--it s impossible and would be unproductive! At times, you may need to try and reduce your stress Most importantly, it s important to develop strategies to manage and cope in times of high stress
STRESS reduction ideas Exercise Listening to music Laughing Making a plan Down time with friends, family, pets What works for you????
CLASS ACTIVITY Stress Cause & Ways of Coping worksheet -Each group will be assigned a different scenario. Work as a group to decide what the stressful triggers are and what what are some stress coping strategies that might be helpful in the situation.
MINDFULNESS and other Stress Coping Strategies 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 2
Coping Skills Trials: -Breathing: *bubble breathing/pinwheels *Square breathing *Alternate nostril breathing -Mindfulness and meditation -Chair yoga -Exercise
Breathing Focusing on the breath helps calm the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and sharpening focus. Supports strong functioning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex) Lessens anxiety by overriding the fight, flight, freeze response in the amygdala
MINDFULNESS INTRODUCTION TO LESSON 2
MINDFULNESS IS PAYING ATTENTION IN A PARTICULAR WAY; ON PURPOSE, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND NON-JUDGMENTALLY JON KABAT-ZINN Mindfulness is about focusing on the here and now.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT MINDFULNESS? Because it helps people to Improve athletic skills Have more energy Prevent against stress related sicknesses Improve memory Improve your concentration and attention Reduce your stress Feel happier and healthier Exercise and improve your brain functioning
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Chair Yoga
Exercise
HOMEWORK At least five entries in your Stress Diary
Ms. B-H s Quotes on Stress When you find yourself stressed ask yourself one question:' will this matter in 5 years? if yes then do something about it if no then let it go -Catherine Pulsifer The time to relax is when you have no time for it -Unknown Stress isn t what happens to us it is our RESPONSE to what happens to us
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is the human body s biological & physiological response to real or perceived dangers or life events.
STRESS and the BRAIN
Hormones produced in the brain make us feel the physical affects of stress throughout our bodies Where do you feel stress in your body? Stress and puberty Stress= Working memory
Not all STRESS is BAD! Eustress: is the good stress Motivates you to get things done Excitement for something Adrenaline for a sporting event or competition Stress that HELPS you achieve your goals Distress: is the bad stress Prolonged or persistent worry Unresolved negative feelings Stress that PREVENTS you from doing what you want to do, or causes discomfort
STRESSORS School homework, grades, tests, expectations Social exclusion, gossip, cyber-bullying, drama Change in environment, social groups, in the body Family getting along with parents and siblings Future HIGH SCHOOL, college, who do I want to be?
TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL
What to do about STRESS Our goal cannot be to make all of life s stressors go away--it s impossible and would be unproductive! At times, you may need to try and reduce your stress Most importantly, it s important to develop strategies to manage and cope in times of high stress What are some of things you do to manage your stress?
STRESS reduction ideas Take a warm bath. Count backwards from 100 Take a breathe- 4 or 5 deep, cleansing breaths. Read an engrossing novel. Take a walk. Meditate for 15 minutes. Do gentle, static stretches for 15 minutes. Close your eyes and daydream. Zone out? watch a silly sitcom! Work it out? take and exercise class. Put it in writing write a nasty letter don t mail it! Take a stress management class. Find a hobby you enjoy. Play with a pet? unconditional love! Rehearse how you ll handle a stressful situation before it happens. Keep your sense of humor? laughter is the best medicine. Call a friend. Sit down, take the phone off the hook, close the door relax! Go see a movie.
A feeling of control and a healthy balance in your schedule is a necessary part of managing stress. Learning how to manage your responsibilities, accomplish your goals and still have time for rest and relaxation requires that you practice time management skills. Try setting a specific goal for yourself that will improve your mood and help you reduce stress. Start by filling out a goal-setting worksheet. Avoid procrastination. Putting off assignments or responsibilities until the last minute can create more mental and physical stress than staying on top of them. Procrastination can affect many aspects of daily life, such as the quality of your work, the quality of your sleep, and your mood. To learn more about procrastination, click here. Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help you burn off the energy generated by stress. Practice good sleep habits to ensure that you are well-rested. Sleep deprivation can cause many physical and mental problems and can increase stress. Try mindfulness meditation. Attend this workshop to learn a variety of ways to work more skillfully with the stress and anxiety related to college life. Limit (or eliminate) the use of stimulants like caffeine, which can elevate the stress response in your body. Recognize the role your own thoughts can play in causing you distress. Challenge beliefs you may hold about yourself and your situation that may not be accurate. For example, do you continuously fall short of what you think you should accomplish? When our minds continuously feed us messages about what we should achieve, ought to be, or mustn't do, we are setting ourselves up to fall short of goals that may be unrealistic, and to experience stress along the way. Learn techniques for replacing unrealistic thoughts with more realistic ones.
CLASS ACTIVITY Stress Cause & Ways of Coping worksheet -Each group will be assigned a different scenario. Work as a group to decide what the stressful triggers are and what what are some stress coping strategies that might be helpful in the situation.
MINDFULNESS and other Stress Coping Strategies 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 2
Stress Review Pop-Quiz: 1. True or False: Stress is the body s biological and physiological response to a real or perceived threat or stressor 2. True or False: The prefrontal cortex acts as the brain s security guard and responds to stressors to help keep us safe 3. The amygdala will respond to stress in 1 of 3 ways (all beginning with F ), what are they? 4. True or False: Depending on the stressor, the amygdala may not always respond in a healthy or productive way. It is important to develop ways to manage our stress in healthy and safe ways.
Stress Review Stress is the body s biological and physiological response to a real or perceived danger/threat (stressor). The amygdala is the security guard for the brain and responds to a stressor by releasing chemicals telling the body to fight, flight or freeze. Depending on the situation, the amygdala does not always give us a healthy and productive response to stress, so it is important to find ways to manage and cope with stress in healthy and safe ways. There can be long-term physical as well as emotional consequences to not managing our stress in healthy ways.
Coping Skills Stations: -Breathing: *Breathing: Bubble breathing/*pinwheel breathing/*square breathing/*alternate nostril breathing *Read through mindfulness and stress management books *Zen coloring *Zen garden *Ipad *Chair yoga
Breathing Focusing on the breath helps calm the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and sharpening focus. Supports strong functioning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex) Lessens anxiety by overriding the fight, flight, freeze response in the amygdala
MINDFULNESS I
MINDFULNESS IS PAYING ATTENTION IN A PARTICULAR WAY; ON PURPOSE, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND NON-JUDGMENTALLY JON KABAT-ZINN Mindfulness is about focusing on the here and now.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT MINDFULNESS? Because it helps people to Improve athletic skills Have more energy Prevent against stress related sicknesses Improve memory Improve your concentration and attention Reduce your stress Feel happier and healthier Exercise and improve your brain functioning
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Chair Yoga
HOMEWORK At least five entries in your Stress Diary
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is the human body s reaction to real or imagined dangers or life events.
WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is how you deal with all the stuff that is happening around you. When you find yourself stressed ask yourself one question:' will this matter in 5 years? if yes then do something about it if no then let it go -Catherine Pulsifer Stress is worry. Stress has both physical and mental affects. The time to relax is when you have no time for it -Unknown Stress isn t what happens to us it is our RESPONSE to what happens to us
STRESS and the BRAIN
Hormones produced in the brain make us feel the physical affects of stress throughout our bodies Where do you feel stress in your body? Stress and puberty
Not all STRESS is BAD! Eustress: is the good stress Motivates you to get things done Excitement for something Adrenaline for a sporting event or competition Stress that HELPS you achieve your goals Distress: is the bad stress Prolonged or persistent worry Unresolved negative feelings Stress that PREVENTS you from doing what you want to do, or causes discomfort
STRESSORS School homework, grades, tests Friendships exclusion, gossip Change in environment, social groups, in the body Family getting along with parents and siblings Future HIGH SCHOOL, college, who do I want to be?
TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL
What to do about STRESS Our goal cannot be to make all of life s stressors go away--it s impossible and would be unproductive! At times, you may need to try and reduce your stress Most importantly, it s important to develop strategies to manage and cope in times of high stress
STRESS reduction ideas Exercise Listening to music Laughing Making a plan Down time with friends, family, pets What works for you????
CLASS ACTIVITY Stress Cause & Ways of Coping worksheet -Each group will be assigned a different scenario. Work as a group to decide what the stressful triggers are and what what are some stress coping strategies that might be helpful in the situation.
MINDFULNESS and other Stress Coping Strategies 8th Grade Life Skills Stress Management Lesson 2
Coping Skills Trials: -Breathing: *bubble breathing/pinwheels *Square breathing *Alternate nostril breathing -Mindfulness and meditation -Chair yoga -Exercise
Breathing Focusing on the breath helps calm the body by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and sharpening focus. Supports strong functioning in the higher brain (prefrontal cortex) Lessens anxiety by overriding the fight, flight, freeze response in the amygdala
MINDFULNESS INTRODUCTION TO LESSON 2
MINDFULNESS IS PAYING ATTENTION IN A PARTICULAR WAY; ON PURPOSE, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND NON-JUDGMENTALLY JON KABAT-ZINN Mindfulness is about focusing on the here and now.
WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT MINDFULNESS? Because it helps people to Improve athletic skills Have more energy Prevent against stress related sicknesses Improve memory Improve your concentration and attention Reduce your stress Feel happier and healthier Exercise and improve your brain functioning
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE PRACTICE MINDFULNESS
MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Chair Yoga
Exercise
HOMEWORK At least five entries in your Stress Diary