Stress Management in Middle School
Authors: John Paul Bennett, Taylor Johnson, Harrison Andrews, Curt Harper, & Melissa Hirsch
Faculty Supervisor: Lydia Watkins, DNP, MSN, RN, CPNP
Abstract:
Stress has become a major issue with adolescents. Stress is a predictor of suicide, depression, and alcohol misuse in teens. Our project focused on adolescents at Needwood Middle School. We educated them regarding the types of stress and the negative effects of stress emotionally and physically. To engage the middle-schoolers, we taught them power poses, breathing techniques and the use of mindfulness. To reinforce what they learned after our presentation, we designed and played a game of Jeopardy. Goody bags were sent home with reminders of how to deal with stress in a healthy manner. We hope that by presenting this information at a young age, we can promote healthy ways middle-schoolers deal with stress, lessen suicide rates, alcoholism, and depression for adolescents at Needwood Middle School.
