Developed by:  Kristi Cantrell

Level:  9 - 12


Managing Stress


 

Standards
 

Learning 
Expectations

 

 This activity will help students acquire competencies which relate to the following standard:
9.  Acquire Personal Safety Skills
The student will:
9.1  analyze stress and its effects on all aspects of health and wellness.
9.2  utilize available resources to manage peer pressure, personal safety issues and other life stresses.

General Approach

 The students will learn to identify and define stress, describe symptoms (both physical and mental) of stress, determine the stressors in their own lives, and develop methods of managing their stress.

Activity Steps

 Step 1. The counselor will open group discussion by asking the students to define stress in their own words.

Step 2.  After the students have been given adequate time to respond the counselor will then refer the students to the  Guide for Stress Management factsheet, a brief discussion will be held regarding the "official" definition of stress and the necessity of managing stress in a manner consistent with lifetime wellness.

Step 3.  Counselor will then direct the students to describe the indicators of stress that they have experienced and then complete the Your Stress Scale questionnaire found on the web site below to determine their vulnerability to stress. http://www.teachhealth.com/index.html#stressscale

Step 4.  Students will work in groups and use the Stressful Situations worksheet to determine the types of stressors that they experience in their lives and discuss ways of safely managing their stress.

Step 5.  Students will return to large group discussion and discuss the manner in which they handle stress and then they will discuss the "Stress Busters" portion of the Guide for Stress Management worksheet.

Step 6.  Counselor will wrap up the session by reviewing the objectives and referring the students to the web sites which allow them to explore stress management and health and safety issues in depth.
 http://www.teachhealth.com/index.html                        http://www.korrnet.org/

Time Required

 Steps 1 & 2 -  10 minutes
Step 3          -  15 minutes
Step 4          -  10 minutes
Step 5          -  10 minutes
Step 6          -    5 minutes

Resources Needed

 * Computers with access to the Internet
* Printers and printer paper
* Pens or Pencils
* Worksheets:  A Guide for Stress Management
                         Stressful Situations

Performance
Indicators

 Students will be able to identify their personal stressors, the effects of the stressors upon their lives, and appropriate techniques for managing or reducing their stress levels.  Follow-up discussions in large and small group settings as well as academic and social well-being performances will determine if the students are effectively applying the newly acquired stress management techniques.