Webinar: Conditions for Learning: Preventing & Responding to

Stress Levels of Students March 25, 2020

Who is IYI?OUR MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ALL INDIANA CHILDREN BY STRENGTHENING AND CONNECTING THE PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE FOCUSED ON KIDS AND YOUTH.

• We Do It For The Kids

• We Create Change

• We Work Together

• We Empower Our Partners And Peers

• We Advocate For Others

Using your GoToWebinar Control Panel

If you don’t see the control panel – click the orange arrow

Questions

Download ResourcesIf you do not see this section, click VIEW in the top menu and make sure HANDOUTS is checked

Who is with us?

Brooke Lawson

Dawn Crossman

OBJECTIVES FOR TODAY:

• Understand the stress response

• Learn the difference between normal stress and toxic stress

• Identify strategies to help students manage stress

BY: SHARON HORESH BERGQUIST

How Stress Affect Your Body - video

What is Stress?

• The body’s response to a challenge

• Can be good or bad, internal or external

• Physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension

• Your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand

• Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response.

Stress and Students

• Teens report stress levels similar to that of adults, meaning that they are experiencing significant levels of chronic stress, that they feel their levels of stress generally exceed their ability to cope effectively.

• Roughly 30% report feeling overwhelmed, depressed, or sad because of it.American Psychological Association Stress in America Survey, "Stress in America: Are Teens Adapting Adults' Stress Habits?" 2014

• 42% of teens indicated not doing anything to cope with their stress or not knowing what to do to manage it

American Psychological Association (2014). Teens and Stress: How to keep stress in check. apa.org/helpcenter/stress-teens

Stress

• Positive Stress – moderate, short-lived stress responses (Essential for normal development)

• Tolerable Stress – potentially harmful, but short-lived acute stressors

• Toxic Stress – Strong, frequent, prolonged activation of stress systems

Center for Developing Child (Harvard), National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2014)

What happens in the brain when stress occurs?

• The Amygdala is our fear center and activates our Central Stress Response System

• HPA Axis – Hypothalamus – Pituitary Gland – Adrenal Cortex

• When this system is activated by perceiving threat, this system regulates and releases hormones, including Cortisol, the main stress hormone

• It works to return hormone levels to normal after the threat has passed

McLeod, S. A. (2010). What is the stress response. Simply psychology: https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-biology.html

HPA Axis

Wingsofwellness.co.uk

Central Stress Response

As Cortisol is released:

1. Glucose levels rise

2. Heart rate rises

3. Blood flow to muscles in arms and legs increase

All in an effort to allow us to respond to perceived threat

McLeod, S. A. (2010). What is the stress response. Simply psychology: https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-biology.html

Normal Stress Response

• Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy child development

• Our systems our made to escalate and regulate back to baseline

• Relationship is key to a child's stress system learning to be activated and returned to baseline = Co-regulation

• Physiological responses to stress are buffered by this co-regulatory relationship

Central Stress Response

When this system is activated

over long periods of time,

these bodily responses

become harmful to our

health and brain development

Too Much Cortisol Leads To....

1. Activity level in the Amygdala increases – fear center

2. Decrease in electrical signals and creation of new brain cells in the hippocampus (learning, memories and stress control) -making it harder to learn and remember things

3. Causes the brain to shrink in size and loss of synaptic connections

4. Shrinking of the prefrontal cortex (decision making, judgment, social interactions)

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI journal, 16, 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

Effects of Too Much Cortisol

• Digestive issues

• Sleep difficulty

• Weakened immune system

• High blood pressure

• Depression and Anxiety

• Heart Disease

• Obesity

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI journal, 16, 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

What might stress look like in a student? Emotional…Cognitive…Physical

• Nervous or Anxious• Tired• Overwhelmed• Problems with concentration• Procrastinating• Neglecting responsibilities• Negative thoughts• Changes in sleep habits• Changes in eating habits

Continuum of Stress

Toxic Stress

• Repeated adversity that floods the healthy development can be derailed by excessive or prolonged activation of stress response systems in the body and brain. Such toxic stress can have damaging effects on learning, behavior, and health across the lifespan.

What Now?

Ways to help promote healthy stress response in ALL students

Authentic Relationship!

What are the components of an authentic relationship:

• Seen

• Noticed

• Heard

• Valued

The Teacher as the Tool

• Being the model for relationship building

• Knowing yourself and your own bias and assumptions

Self-Awareness

• Knowing how to manage your own stress and emotions in a healthy manner

• Helping co-regulate when students when they are dysregulated

Self-Regulation

Tier 1 Practices to help build relationship

• Greet Students by name daily

• Community Circles

• Check ins

• Being vulnerable with your students

• Teacher/Student letters

• School-Wide families

• Conferencing with students

Tier 2 Strategies for Relationship Building

• 2x10 Strategy

• 20 questions

• Lunch Dates

• Positive phone calls

• Restorative Chats/Conferences

• Working closely with the family

Tier 3 Strategies for Relationships

• Continue to attempt to build trusting relationships by using strategies from tier 1 and 2

• Add others to the team

– Consider other adults to support

– Creating a team or system of support

• Consider referrals

Managing Stress

MANAGING STRESS BUILDS OUR BRAIN AND SUPPORTS OUR HEALTH!

HELPING STUDENTS MANAGE THEIR STRESS HELPS THEIR BRAIN DEVELOP AND LEADS TO BETTER DECISION

MAKING, LESS RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR, AND BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES.

PARENTS AND TEACHERS ARE A CRITICAL THERAPEUTIC PIECE TO THIS BRAIN DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR

TEENAGER!!

Specific Strategies to Manage Stress

Self-Care

• Healthy Sleep Habits

• Eating Well

• Laugh

• Learn Assertive Communication Skills

• Positive Thinking and Affirmations

• Accept That Some Things Are Out of Our Control

• Decrease Caffeine Intake

• Organize Your Space

• Decrease Procrastination

• Hold Reasonable Expectations for Yourself

• Learn To Say No To Overcommitting

• Journaling

• Surround Yourself with Loved Ones

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, "Stress Management and Teens," January 2019

Relaxation

• Play with a Pet

• Aromatherapy

• Color

• Listen to Music

• Take a Warm Bath

• Sky gaze

• Cook

• Watch a Funny Show

• Talk with an Adult

• Play a Board Game

• Draw

• Fly a Kite

• Sky Gaze

• _____________

• _____________

Exercise

• Walking

• Yoga

• Movement you Enjoy

• Gardening

• Take a Walk in Nature

• Dance

• Take a Bike Ride

• Walking

• Yoga

• Movement you Enjoy

• Gardening

• Take a Walk in Nature

• Dance

• Take a Bike Ride

Contribute to the World

• Help a family member

• Volunteer in my community

• Help a classmate

• Care for an animal

• Take care of a plant or garden

• Do something that takes care of the environment

Coping Skills

• Assertiveness Training Skills ("I feel... When... And I need...")

• Rehearse and Practice

• Make a list

• Breaking large tasks into smaller ones

• Decrease negative thoughts and replace with positive thoughts

• Learn to feel good about doing your best, not the best

• Lose comparison and judgement and gain "it is what it is"

• Connect with friends that are using adaptive coping skills

Student Interventions

• Calming Corner

• Break Button

• Regulation Rooms

• Amygdala First Aid Stations

• Hot Pass

• Sensory Break

Mindfulness

• Guided Imagery

• Breathing Exercises

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation

• Pray

• Visualization

• Meditation

When Stress Warrants Professional Help

• Grades are dropping

• Worrying a lot

• Becoming easily moody or angry

• Feeling tired all the time

• Frequent headaches or stomach pain

• Difficulty Sleeping

• Thinking about hurting yourself

• Using unhealthy coping strategies

• Withdrawal from friends

• Thinking about using drugs or alcohol

• Feelings of sadness or hopelessness

• Loss of appetite

References

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, "Stress Management and Teens," January 2019

American Psychological Association (2014). Teens and Stress: How to keep stress in check. apa.org/helpcenter/stress-teens

Caldwell, A.(2018). The Neuroscience of Stress

Center for Developing Child (Harvard), National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2014)

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Adolescent Health Stress.

Maynard, Nathan & Weinstien, Brad (2019). Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility Using Restorative Justice. Times 10 Publications.

McLeod, S. A. (2010). What is the stress response. Simply psychology: https://www.simplypsychology.org/stress-biology.html

National Association of School Psychologists

Perry, Bruce D. & Szalavitz, Maia (2011). Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential- and Endangered. William Morrow Paperbacks.

Whalen, John J. (2019). Classroom Circles: A Toolkit for Building Relationships and Strengthening School Communities. Park Place Publications LP.

Wingsofwellness.co.uk

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI journal, 16, 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

Webinars

Convenient, online professional development.• Grounded in latest research and innovative practices• Focus on Youth Development and College and Career

Upcoming Topics:

Register Today! IYI.org/webinar

NewslettersBe the first to receive the latest updates and opportunities.

Weekly Update: A weekly email newsletter with the latest youth development trends, IYI program news and event updates.

Programs: Get the latest KIDS COUNT Data, information from the Virginia Beall Ball Library, and other announcements from IYI programs.

Professional Development: Never miss an announcement about IYI webinars, the Because KIDS COUNT Conference, Youth Worker Cafes, the Postsecondary Counseling Institute and other great opportunities.

Be sure to sign up at www.iyi.org/newsletters.

facebook.com/Indianayouth@indianayouth

twitter.com/Indiana_Youth@Indiana_Youth

Get ConnectedLet’s connect to improve the lives of youth!

Dr. Karlin TichenorDirector of Social Emotional Healthktichenor@iyi.org