There’s no question that today, kids as well as adults experience stress--it’s part of life. When we are feeling stressed, our brains are working overtime. As a result, we may find it difficult to calm our thoughts. It may also be hard to shift our focus away from what is upsetting us. Fortunately, there are several different techniques we can learn to do just that. Utilizing these skills can help us train our brains to relax.
First, it’s important to recognize how your body feels when it becomes stressed. This is your own personal “stress response.”
SELF CARE
Self care is an important part of stress management:
* In the HMS Nurse’s Office, these relaxation practices are utilized to help students experiencing physical manifestations of stress and anxiety. Coupled with the use of a “calm” space created by the nurses, students have responded well to these interventions and report decreased feelings of stress and anxiety after a ten-minute period.
Research shows that developing healthy coping mechanisms are an important part of fostering resilience in children. Click here to read more about building resilience in children.
Submitted by Jamie von Freymann, RN
First, it’s important to recognize how your body feels when it becomes stressed. This is your own personal “stress response.”
- Notice your breathing--is it fast or slow?
- Can you feel your heart beating?
- How do your muscles feel?
- What is happening with your thoughts?
SELF CARE
Self care is an important part of stress management:
- Exercise: Get up and move! Exercise releases endorphins. Rhythmic exercise, such as bicycling, walking, or running, is especially helpful in relieving anxiety
- Sleep: Go to bed at a consistent time each night, without electronics. Your body and brain need rest!
- Nutrition: Eating a well-balanced diet is important for brain and body development
- Enjoy yourself: Do things you enjoy on a regular basis
- Connect with people: When you have face to face contact with people who make you feel safe and understood, your body releases hormones that counteract the fight or flight response!
- Connect with yourself: Write in a journal, write a poem, draw or paint a picture
- Connect with nature: Take a walk outside, sit in the woods, close your eyes and feel the sun on your face
- Listen to soothing music
- Read a book
- Yoga or Tai Chi
- Meditation
- Visualization*
- Mindfulness*
- Deep breathing*
* In the HMS Nurse’s Office, these relaxation practices are utilized to help students experiencing physical manifestations of stress and anxiety. Coupled with the use of a “calm” space created by the nurses, students have responded well to these interventions and report decreased feelings of stress and anxiety after a ten-minute period.
Research shows that developing healthy coping mechanisms are an important part of fostering resilience in children. Click here to read more about building resilience in children.
Submitted by Jamie von Freymann, RN