Mindful Breathing page offers multiple options (videos) to help you focus on your breathing. This can help with: lowering your heart rate, lowering stress levels, and lower your blood pressure. All you have to do is breathe (with the prompts).
Yoga (GS) + Yoga (YT) is more than just holding an interesting pose - it's challenging, stress relieving, and helps to improve muscle strength, flexibility, and cardio + circulatory health. It's also low impact and can be done just about anywhere. Start your day off with yoga stretching or end it with a stress relieving routine.
Progressive muscle relaxation is is exactly what it says it is. You tense a group of muscles, then relax them in groups - from your head to your toes. It helps with stress and sleep!
Coloring is a relaxing activity that you can turn your brain off to do. Something mindless that creates a pleasing image. These are printable for actual coloring, or downloadable to be edited/colored digitally (using programs like Paint, Paint 3D, Photoshop, etc.)
'White noise' or relaxing, repetitive sounds can help you clear your mind and wind down after a long day. It can also help you de-stress OR focus if you need to settle in for a serious study session.
Vision Boards are a tool to visualize your hopes and dreams and help to remind and motivate you to strive for them. These can be done physically with a poster board, cork board, or wall OR it can be done digitally. If done digitally, you can turn it into the background on your phone or computer, post it somewhere on social media, or just keep it in your files and make sure to look at it daily or frequently.
Books have the ability to take you to infinite other worlds. What better way to take a break from the stress of real life than to be transported mentally to another world? Sometimes doing the work to find a book you might want to read can be daunting in itself. These two links will help you to narrow down the list! What Should I Read Next? Or Recommendations from teachers and peers at Stilwell
Sometimes we need inspiration. This site not only gives you a Daily Affirmation, but it gives you a plan of action on HOW to integrate it into your day. Maybe you wake up not feeling great and need a pep talk for the day? Perhaps you feel like you are stuck at the bottom of a pile of work that just keeps growing larger? You have to get it done, but need some motivation? Sometimes you need an affirmation (emotional support or encouragement).
Sleep is SO IMPORTANT. Many people, teens especially, not only don't get enough sleep in general, but they don't get QUALITY sleep. Quality sleep is important for the social, emotional, and physical development. It's a way to recharge those 'batteries' that you run on every day. If you don't get recharge all the way or if you charge with a weak source, you will run out of batteries (physical, emotional, and mental batteries) very quickly.
As silly as it sounds, watching satisfying videos and/or listening to satisfying sounds can help relieve stress! Check out these links: Kinetic Sand 1, Kinetic Sand 2, ASMR (random noises), ASMR (Cooking), ASMR (Cooking 2), and there are many more as many of you know.
Do you every find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of work you have? You know exactly what you need to do, but the task is so large that you don't know where to start? Try chunking it and using Pomodoros. Smaller pieces are more manageable and less overwhelming. Watch this video and try completing your first Pomodoro!
If you feel the need to update me on your life, or think you might need to talk to a counselor please fill out this Student Would Like to Talk form or email me or your counselor. If you don't know who your counselor is, I can find out for you.
Some games can help you wind down and be calm. You need to know yourself for this. If you know you get heated up playing Fortnite, that is probably not a good option. However, there are some games for free that you can download to your phone: My Oasis (android + apple), Zen Koi (1 & 2 Android + 1 & 2 Apple), Terrarium: Garden Idle (Android + Apple), Sky: Children of the Light (Android + Apple), etc. These are all free and you never need to purchase anything to play.
Sometimes, when trying to develop a habit, or reach a goal - it helps us to keep a tracker. That could mean drawing one on paper ('bullet journal' style) or using an app to keep a digital one, like "21 Days Challenge" (Android + Apple). To check out some bullet journal styles, click HERE.
Having a growth mindset can be difficult. Take it one step at a time with THIS CHECKLIST.
Sometimes you might think you are not stressed, but you actually are. This INFOGRAPHIC gives you an idea of how stress can manifest in your life. In order to deal with the symptoms, you first must recognize them.
200+ noise generators for focusing, relaxing, studying, etc. Click HERE to start listening.