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We are the Student Health Committee of the National Honor Society. Our team’s focus is to promote a healthy student lifestyle and mindset. We will be sending out information through our website, where videos and articles will be posted with the intention of informing everyone about specific topics and techniques that the student body can use to help with a variety of struggles they may face. These will be created by students, so they can give their perspective on what was effective and to acknowledge that each person’s experience is different. Our purpose is to ensure that everyone has a place that they can go to for information to help them identify, learn, or provide ideas to help control certain troubles that arise in the life of a high school student. |
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Throughout the month of December our committee was given the wonderful opportunity to participate in a training with the SPERO Center. During our meetings, we discussed the importance of prioritizing your mental health. We were taught about different strategies to use when you feel as though your mental health is on a decline. Each month, we plan on sharing various methods to help students get a better understanding of what SPERO taught us and what we found the most beneficial.
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March Focus - Self Coping Skills
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When coping with stress, there are two main types of coping skills we can use: emotion-based coping skills, and problem-based coping skills.
Emotion-based coping skills can be used when you feel like you're not ready to change a situation, or you feel the situation is out of your control. They can help distract, self-soothe, and tolerate stress in healthy ways. Some examples include: - exercising - going for a walk - reading a book - coloring/drawing - listening to music - journaling - taking a shower or a bath |
On the other hand, problem-based coping skills can be used when a stressful situation can be changed or improved. This might mean changing your behavior or creating some sort of plan to help guide yourself out of a stressful situation.
Some examples include:
- asking for support from a friend, trusted adult, or counselor
- creating a to-do list
- establishing healthy boundaries (with peers, school work, etc.)
- creating a weekly/daily schedule
- setting reminders or notifications for yourself
- work on managing your time better
There are also certain short-term coping strategies that can help! They are all easy, don't require any equipment or other people to help, and can be performed in most situations.
Some examples include:
- asking for support from a friend, trusted adult, or counselor
- creating a to-do list
- establishing healthy boundaries (with peers, school work, etc.)
- creating a weekly/daily schedule
- setting reminders or notifications for yourself
- work on managing your time better
There are also certain short-term coping strategies that can help! They are all easy, don't require any equipment or other people to help, and can be performed in most situations.
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One is called the "Square Breathing" technique. It will increase oxygen to the brain and help you relax and think. How to do it: First, get yourself into a comfortable position. Then, visualize the 4 edges of a square since there are 4 steps, held for 4 seconds each. 1. Take a slow deep breath for about 4 seconds. 2. Hold the air in your lungs for another 4 seconds. 3. Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds. 4. Repeat everything 4 more times. 
And finally, there is the "half-smiling and willing hands" technique. It is based on a mind-to-body connection, wherein you physically take control of your facial expression and hand positioning in a positive way. It works by stimulating the release of "feel-good" neurotransmitters in your brain, creating a positive feedback loop.
How to "half-smile": First, you should relax your face before you start with a half-smile by allowing the corners of your mouth to turn slightly upwards. Keep your half-smile relaxed and natural, not forced or tensed. How to do "willing hands": First, relax your arms and turn your palms up, towards the sky or ceiling. Unclench your hands and rotate them with your thumbs out to the side, palms up, and with relaxed fingers. |
Another is called the "progressive muscle relaxation" technique. This is an activity where you practice tensing and releasing one body part at a time, moving through your entire body while you focus on the sensations.
How to do it: Choose a body part to start at. For this example, we'll use a fist. 1. Tense your fist. 2. Hold your fist to a count of 10, and then release it slowly, making sure to pay attention to what you feel in your body. 3. Keep repeating this with a different body part. 
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February Focus - Self Care
Check out Allie's video above to learn more!
The Self Care Wheel is a great tool to use when managing your own stress. Practicing self care will help you find a balance between the six sectors in the wheel: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal, and professional. As youth, it is very important for us to recognize any triggers in our stress, and where we are lacking personal self care.
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