Learning to cope with a Stress Storm!
Time: 30 mins
Outcome:
Learn to cope when your stressed!
At a glance:
- Start to recognise when you are stressed or worried!
- Develop coping strategies to help you when times are tough.
- Create your own Stress Storm Survival Card!
You will need:
- A pen / pencil & a piece of paper.
Fear is one of the strongest human emotions and it has a very powerful impact on your mind and body. It creates a strong response when we are caught in life-threatening situations, but it can also take hold when we’re faced with non-emergency situations such as exams or public speaking.
When you feel stressed, worried, or anxious, your body reacts in ‘fear mode,’ responding as it would in an emergency. It can be scary to experience the physical ‘fear mode’ response – especially if you don’t know why you’re experiencing it!
Our ability to deal with life stresses is known as ‘resilience.’ Sometimes we face more difficult situations than usual and this impacts how we think and feel.
Below is a Stress Storm:
Ask yourself:
- Where are you in the storm?
- Is your bucket too full?
It can be hard to break out of ‘fear mode’ and escape the stress storm, but there are lots of ways you can do it. From talking to someone you trust, to doing something you enjoy, to taking time out for you, your options are endless.
Choosing from some of the options below and adding your own, turn your piece of paper into a Stress Storm Survival Card, so that the next time you feel stressed, anxious or worried, you know what to do to help yourself feel calm.
- Listen to Music.
- Phone a friend.
- Go for a walk.
- Bake something!
- Watch some TV.
- Doodle, Draw or Colour In.
- Have a cup of tea.
- Read a Book
- Unplug from social media and spend time in nature!
- Speak to an adult you trust (Parent / Carer or Youth Worker)
Add the phone numbers of people you trust and fold it up. Place it in the back of your phone case, or in your wallet – somewhere that you will always have it on you.
Next time you face a stress storm, remember you can survive it!
