Lesson 7- Preventative Relaxation

Welcome back to week seven of the Coping Power Classroom video series!

This week, students are learning all about relaxation both as a way of preventing their stress levels from getting too high, and as a method for calming down when they’re feeling distressed or out of control.

One of the best things about relaxation is that it is a coping skill that can be used almost anywhere, in any situation. While active coping might require space to run, or weights to lift, or music to dance to, relaxation can be a much quieter, more internal process. Relaxation can be as simple as closing your eyes and thinking of a happy place, taking a few deep breaths, or saying a positive mantra to yourself (which ties together nicely with positive self-talk, the topic of last week’s Coping Power lesson!)

Relaxation is a healthy way to stay in control of intense emotions. However, it’s important for students to recognize that just having strong emotions, including feeing angry, sad, or scared, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s a natural reaction that keeps our bodies safe when we’re in a dangerous situation and need to react quickly or on instinct. Our bodies just can’t always tell the difference between a true emergency situation, and a stressful, but not-dangerous situation, like arguing with a friend or taking a high-stakes standardized test. When these non-emergency situations occur, it’s important that we use our brains to help our bodies cool down so that we can stay in control of our emotions and make effective decisions.

Students are learning many different methods for relaxation, which they can use both in the middle of stressful scenarios, and just to keep themselves regulated and calm throughout the day or week. Some methods of relaxation include deep breathing, meditation, yoga, taking a bath, or cuddling with a willing pet or stuffed animal. In class, students tried out several different breathing techniques, stretching, and meditation to see what types of relaxation they might enjoy.

This week, encourage your students to keep practicing these relaxation techniques until they find one that is comfortable and effective for them. You might encourage this by engaging in class-wide relaxation activities when you notice your students are stressed or just high-energy.

For example, you might have students do a deep breathing exercise at the start of class or after coming in from lunch or recess, when their energy levels are naturally high. Before an important quiz or test, you might have students engage in a moment of quiet meditation, where they can tell themselves positive affirmations, imagine a happy place, or imagine their own success. After a long lecture or activity where students are beginning to fidget, you might give students a stretch break or share a quick yoga video.

We hope you and your students enjoy testing out these various techniques and strategies, and we’ll see you next week!