Dominion High School Office of School Counseling 

21326 Augusta Drive Sterling, VA 20164

SDV 100: Stress Management  School Counselor(s):   Amodeo, Olinares, Laiti, Patel                         Date(s):   March 17th & 18th, 2016 Grade Level(s):    11th grade students participating in SDV 100 Time Required for Lesson:   45 minutes  ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors Addressed: Mindset:  

1: Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well‐being  

Behavior: Self‐Management Skills  7: Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem  

 Learning Objectives:  Students will: 

‐ Determine what stress means to them. ‐ Identify symptoms of stress. ‐ Identify sources of stress in their own lives. ‐ Learn strategies to reduce stress. ‐ Learn stress management techniques for when they are feeling stressed. 

 Materials & Resources Required: 

‐ PowerPoint Presentation ‐ Projector ‐ Notecards ‐ Writing Utensils ‐ Trash can ‐ White Paper to write down responses ‐ Pre and Post Surveys 

 Activity & Procedure: 

1. Students will fill out the Pre‐Survey. 2. Counselors will start out by asking “What is stress?” and have students identify symptoms of 

stress. 3. Have students fill out the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and determine their perceived stress level. 

Facilitate a conversation about their current stress levels. 4. Counselors will pass out a notecard and have students write down anything that causes them 

stress. Once finished, students will share their responses as a group. Students will then rip up their notecard into small pieces and the counselor will come around with a trash bin. This activity signifies that the students have control of their stress and can minimize or eliminate their stress using different stress management techniques. 

5. Counselor will walk through the remainder of the PowerPoint with students, facilitating conversation along the way about ways to reduce stress and stress management techniques. 

6. When counselors get to the “Stress Management Technique” page of the PowerPoint, students will share ways they manage their stress and counselor will write these on white paper in front 

Dominion High School Office of School Counseling 

21326 Augusta Drive Sterling, VA 20164

of the classroom. Counselor will also pass out the Stress Management Techniques Handout for each student to keep. 

7. Students will then fill out the Post‐Survey.  Evaluation: Process Data:    26 11th grade students participated in this lesson of SDV 100.  Perception Data: Students will take a pre‐ and post‐survey.  Outcome Data: This lesson aims to help students recognize what causes them stress and how to reduce stress before it occurs, as well as manage stress when it does occur. It is our hope that less stress in the classroom will coincide with higher academic achievement, as evidenced by grades.   

SDV 100Adapted from University of Arizona: www.life.arizona.edu/.../stressmanagementonline

What is stress?What causes stress?Strategies to reduce stress

Stress Management Techniques

Stress is the way that you react physically, mentally and emotionally to various conditions, changes and demands in your life.

We all experience varying levels of stress.

High levels of stress can affect your physical and mental well‐being and academic performance.

headaches

stomachaches

change in appetite

rapid breathing 

rapid heart rate

sweaty palms

irritability

fatigue

• insomnia

• anger

• inability to concentrate

Take a few minutes to think about current sources of stress in your life and write them down.

We will then take a few minutes to share as a group.

LL1

Slide 5

LL1 Laura Laiti, 1/25/2016

Uneasiness and distress about future uncertainties (i. e. college, career, etc.)

Changes in life’s expectations (i.e. conflict with best friend; family moving away, etc. )

Disorganization: feeling unprepared and powerless

Physical Constraints (i.e. Physical exhaustion, lack of good exercise and diet strategies)

Time constraints (i.e. multiple projects and deadlines)

Take control. Manage your time instead of letting it manage you. Use a to‐do list, follow a written plan, set goals and follow through.

Avoid procrastination, a major cause of stress. Make a realistic list of things you need to do each day. Do the most important things first. That way, even if you don’t finish the list, you get the most important things done.

Take a break. Sometimes it is better to get away from the situation for a short time. Take a brisk walk, focus on pleasant thoughts. Then, go back to the task feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever it is you have to do.

Put things into perspective. Do not take yourself too seriously.

Think positive.  “If you think you will fail, or think you will succeed, you are probably right.”    ‐ Henry Ford

Get help. See your instructor, get a tutor, and participate in study groups. 

Keep in touch with friends and family, and develop a support group.

Physical stress busters Eat right, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest

Practice, practice, practice Build your confidence: do extra math problems, practice test‐taking at home, rehearse your speech a couple of times before the presentation

Talk to someone Find someone you trust, discuss the problems and look for solutions

Visualize Sit comfortably and think of a favorite place. Imagine yourself in a successful situation.

Deep Breathing

Sit quietly, and breathe deeply and slowly. Continue for five or six breaths. It is calming and the extra dose of oxygen increases the brain’s thinking ability.

Exercise!

High School • Emotional & Mental Health ©ETR Associates

Part 1 Techniques to Relieve Stress

Deep BreathingWhen you’re under stress, muscles tense and breathing becomes shallow and rapid. When you breathe slowly and deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down. The brain then sends this message to your body. Deep breathing increases the oxygen available to your body and produces a relaxed feeling. Practice this technique a few times each day, and deep breathing will become a tool you can use to help you relax whenever you feel stressed.

Here’s how to do it:

• Sitinacomfortablepositionandtakeafewbreaths.Noticehowyourbellypushesoutasyourlungsfill with air, and how it naturally goes back in as the air leaves your lungs.

• Thentakesomedeepbreaths.Breatheinforacountof6.Pauseforacountof3. Thenbreatheoutforanothercountof6.

• Dothis20–30times.

Progressive Muscle RelaxationThis is a good technique to use any time you’re tense. Progressive means something that happens a little bit at a time. In this technique, you tense different muscle groups one at a time and then let them relax. The tension helps the muscles relax more deeply when you let go.

Here’s how to do it:

• Startwithyourtoes.Curlthemunderafarasyoucan.Holdfor5seconds,thenrelax.

• Thenmovetoyourankles.Bendyourfeettowardyourbodyasfarasyoucan.Holdfor5secondsthen relax.

• Continuetomoveupyourbody,tensingdifferentmusclegroups,holdingfor5secondsandthenrelaxing. Do this with your thighs, hips, abdomen, back, shoulders, elbows, hands, neck and face. Notice how your body feels as you tighten and relax the different muscles.

• Endbytighteningallthemusclesinyourbodyfor10secondsandthenrelaxing.Allyourmusclesshould now be more relaxed.

Guided ImageryDeep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation reduce stress by helping your body relax and calm down. Guided imagery is a way to help your mind do the same thing. In guided imagery, you picture a calm place and imagine a restful experience.

Here’s how to do it:

• Chooseaplaceyou’refamiliarwithandonethatyoufindbeautifulorthatfeelssafe.Youmightpicture a deserted beach, a green meadow or a quiet place in your home.

• Closeyoureyesandimagineyourselfleavingwhereveryouareatthemomentandgoingtothecalm,safe place you’ve chosen.

• Seeyourselfinthatplace,withallyoursensesexperiencingthesights,sounds,smellsandotherdetails. Really imagine what you’d see, hear, smell and feel on your skin in that place.

• Pictureyourselfrelaxingintheplace—youmightliedownonthebeachorthegrass,sitonabenchorinatree,wrapawarmblanketaroundyou—whateverhelpsyoufeelcalmandsafe.

• Stayinthisimaginaryplaceuntilyoufeelfullyrelaxed.Thenslowlypictureyourselfleavingitandcoming back to where you actually are, knowing that you can return any time you want to relax.

(continued)

Stress-Management Techniques

High School • Emotional & Mental Health ©ETR Associates

Part 2 Ways to Reduce or Prevent Stress

Physical ActivityBeing physically active is a good way to help manage the stress in your life. Here’s why:

• Doingsomeformofaerobicactivitythatmakesyourheartrateandbreathingincreaseandworksyour heart and lungs for about 30 minutes causes your brain to release endorphins. Endorphins are natural chemicals that help people feel good and balance the effects of stress.

• Endorphinlevelshavebeenfoundtostayhigherevenafterphysicalactivityhasended.Soapersoncontinues to feel good after working out and moving the body.

• Peoplewhoarephysicallyactiveeverydaycopebetterwithstressandsleepmoresoundlyatnight.

Time ManagementA lot of daily stress can be reduced or even prevented if you learn how to make the best use of your time and be organized. Here are some things you can try:

• Planahead.

• Makealistofthingsyouneedtodo.Circlewhatyouneedtodofirst,orputthingsinorderfrommost to least important.

• Makesureyouhaveallthematerialsyouneedbeforestartingaproject.

• Don’twaituntilthelastminutetostartsomething.

• Doalittleatatime.Breakbigtasksintosmallersteps.

• Workwithafriendtohelpataskgofasterorbemorefun.

• Focusonwhatyouneedtodo.Don’tletyourselfgetdistracted.Forexample,youmightturnoffyourphone or the TV.

• Allowextratimetogettoappointmentsorplacesyouneedtobe.

Talking About ItTalkingtosomeoneaboutwhat’scausingyoustressisanothertechniqueyoucanuse.Sometimesjustdescribing or sharing your feelings about a stressful situation to a friend or trusted adult can help you feelbetter.Letthepersonknowifyouneedhimorhertojustlistenandunderstandyourfeelings,orifyou’d like help thinking of things you could do to relieve the stress. Talking to others can also help you get more information or come up with ways to help prevent stress in the future.

Some ways you could start:

• “I’mreallystressedaboutthissituation.CouldItellyouaboutit?”

• “Idon’tknowwhattodoforthisassignment.CouldIrunsomeideasbyyou?”

• “Whatdoyoudowhenyou’refeelingstressed?Couldyougivemesomeideas?”

• “Couldyougivememoreinformationabout...?”

Stress-Management Techniques (continued)

Pre‐Survey 

1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. 

True     False 

 

2. I can identify the causes of stress in my life. 

True     False 

 

3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. 

True     False 

 

Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: 

___________________________________ 

___________________________________ 

___________________________________ 

Post‐Survey 

1. I can identify my symptoms of stress. 

True    False 

 

2. I can identify the cause of stress in my life. 

True    False 

 

3. I have an effective stress management technique that I utilize when I am feeling stressed. 

True    False 

 

Name three ways you can reduce stress in your life: 

___________________________________ 

___________________________________ 

___________________________________