Have
students identify stresses in their lives. Then have students write
short, five-minute activities that they might do to manage stress.
Review their ideas and put them in a jar. Each class, have a designated
student choose a "stress buster" activity from the jar that you
can include in the daily warmup.
We
usually associate stress with the pressures of being an adult. But
the teenage years are peppered with situations and relationships
that can cause stress. Imagine the types of stress your students
could be facing: the pressure of choosing a career, leaving home
for college or university, choices concerning drugs and alcohol
and relationships with family and peers.
Stress is
part of everyday life. You will never be stress free. But you can
control how you react to stress, now that you've learned some strategies
to deal with it. (Physical activity!)
Think of some adult role
models... how do they handle stress? Can you think of some activities
you can do to reduce stress? See if your family can come up with
a "stress busting" plan to do as a family. Or watch your parents
to see if they have any positive ways of reducing stress in their
lives.
