Lesson 2: Actions

The scripts for each lesson are designed to guide you (the teacher or presenter) through the material; they do not need to be read verbatim. We encourage you to adapt the scripts by using examples that are most relevant to your students. Consider a variety of ways (visually, interactively, etc.) to engage students with material (e.g., T-charts, word clouds). Links to an abbreviated version of this content, all videos, webpages, worksheets, and other materials mentioned in this lesson are available online.

Introduction (2–3 minutes)

Welcome and recap

Welcome back, everyone! Today we are continuing our lessons in “BAM!” Do you remember what the “B” stood for?

[Wait to see if any student remembers “B” stands for “body.”] That’s right, the “B” stands for “body.”

What about our second letter? Can anyone guess what the A stands for—what the topic of the day is?

[Allow students to guess the “A” in BAM and then tell them it is for “actions.”]

Before we begin on actions, I want to remind you that in the last lesson, we talked about the impact stress has on our body and we also learned one strategy that can help us cope with stress. Who remembers the two magic words we learned and what they mean?

[Wait for student response regarding the Just Breathe exercise.]

That’s right, we learned the Just Breathe exercise, where we breathe in for 4 seconds, hold our breath for 4 seconds, and breathe out for another 6 seconds. Let’s take a minute to take a few deep breaths together.

[Walk students through two to three rounds of deep breathing, breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, and breathing out for 6 seconds. Students should be told that if they feel uncomfortable at any point, they can just sit quietly and not do the exercise.]

[Use the BAM! Summary and Review of Lesson 1 (PDF, 29KB)opens in new window on a whiteboard or easel paper to help students remember the previous lesson.]

BAM! puzzle worksheet

Using your BAM! puzzle worksheet (PDF, 34KB)opens in new window, pick another puzzle section and write “Action” on the dotted line. You can also color that section, but leave the last space empty. [Students will keep their worksheet and add labels to the other sections when they are introduced in future sessions.]

Main lesson (3–4 minutes)

Actions activity

During our time today, we are going to focus on our actions. We know that stress can impact our body, but how does it impact the things we do? Everyone experiences stress to a certain level. A little bit of stress can help us and motivate us to take action. Too much, however, leads to distress. The things we do when we are in distress are called our “coping mechanisms.” Some of these actions really help us cope with our stressors; some may sort of help us feel better in the short term, but they don’t help so much in the long term; and others can be completely unhelpful.

What are some examples of actions that people take to cope with stress that may not be particularly healthy or helpful?

[Teachers/presenters can use the attached slides (PPX, 14MB)opens in new window to prompt students to discuss with a partner if they think each action would be healthy or unhealthy, then we could reveal the answer with a reason why. Students could be asked to discuss each slide with a partner and then as a whole class.]

[Have students list these on whiteboards or discuss them in groups. Allow students to share unhealthy coping behaviors like withdrawing from friends/activities/schoolwork; avoiding tasks that need to be done; yelling (at siblings, friends, parents); watching too much television or mindlessly scrolling through social media; sleeping to avoid people/feelings/activities; or isolating themselves.]

Some of these actions are very normal, common reactions that most of us have experienced at some point in time when we have been in distress. They may help us feel better for a short time; however, they often don’t help us feel better in the long run.

Now, let’s think about some healthy and helpful actions people can take when they are anxious or stressed.

[Have students list these on whiteboards or discuss them in groups. Allow students to share helpful coping behaviors like spending time with friends; talking to someone they trust; going for walks; exercising; video chatting with family and friends; writing; drawing; finding a new hobby; listening to/playing music; helping others; asking for help; or brainstorming ways to solve whatever problems are on their mind.]

Progressive muscle relaxation activity (5 minutes)

Let’s try another way to relax your body called progressive muscle relaxation, PMR for short. When we are stressed, worried, or otherwise upset, we tense our muscles, often without realizing it. When someone says they have a “knot in their stomach” or a headache, it may well be due to tensing muscles in the abdomen or neck. Learning which of our muscles tense, when we’re stressed, is important so we can learn to relax them. There are so many positive effects of practicing PMR, including increasing our immune system (we don’t yet know all the reasons for that) and helping us feel calmer so we can have more energy and think more clearly.

The key to PMR is noticing what the muscles feel like when they are tense, and slowly relaxing the muscles so that you begin to notice the difference in how they feel when they are relaxed. The more you practice this, the more quickly your body can relax. When muscles are tense, they might even hurt. As you relax each muscle group, you might notice a tingling, warmth, or cold sensation.

[Watch/play this video (50 seconds): youtube.com/watch?v=rQVpkZACGCEopens in new window.]

Try it out with more specific muscle groups. Let’s start by clenching your right fist as tight as you can without hurting yourself. Hold it for 10 seconds. Slowly relax for 6 seconds. Notice the difference. Now, bend the arm at the elbow and tighten without clenching your fist.

You can practice this with other muscle groups, including:

• Your neck (bend it down to touch your chin to your chest, then do the same by turning to the right to rest on your shoulder, next turn to the left)
• Your stomach (pull in as if someone punched you in the stomach, then blow the stomach out)
• Your face (tighten your forehead by pulling your eyebrows up, make a big smile, and notice all the muscles around your mouth)
• Your legs and toes (tighten your leg muscles and curl in your toes)

Closing (2 minutes)

Summary

The actions we take when we are stressed and worried impact ourselves and others. Helpful actions reduce stress, allow us to see the situation better, and help us solve problems. Unhelpful actions, on the other hand, can cause us to engage in problematic behaviors, withdraw, and become depressed.

It can often be hard to tell if our actions are helpful or unhelpful at the moment. Something you can ask yourself is, “When I did that, did it help me feel less stressed? Did it help me work through my problems? Did it cause additional problems?” Some unhealthy coping activities may work in the short term, but not in the long term. In other words, ask yourself if your actions actually helped you work through your stress or solve your problem, or did they do the opposite? Helpful actions can allow us to get through whatever situation we may be facing.

Discussing things that stress you out might have made you feel stressed just now. Let’s take a moment to calm our bodies. Let’s wrap up by doing our Just Breathe exercise.

[The PMR Exercise can be substituted here or students can choose which exercise to practice. Allow students a minute or two to complete either exercise. Students should be told that if they feel uncomfortable at any point, they can just sit quietly and not do the exercise.]

[Use the BAM! Summary and Review of Lesson 2 (PDF, 29KB)opens in new window to create a visual summary for students on a whiteboard or easel paper.]

See the full module document (PDF, 1MB)opens in new window, for a resource list for students who may need additional or outside help.