Lesson 2: The body

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. 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 back to our journey of building resilience. Let’s start by reviewing some of the things we discussed in the introductory lesson.

We learned that by identifying our values, we are better able to move forward from stressors or challenges based on these values. For example, if you value friendships, you will reach out to your friends to talk about a situation and for their support, rather than isolating yourself during a stressful time.

Although we all will face challenges, some are shared, and some are unique. What is one thing that was hard for you recently?

[Ask one student to share; acknowledge the event and thank them for sharing.]

As we navigate challenges, how do we move forward? Does anyone remember the hint I gave at the end of our last lesson?

BAM!—that is right. The acronym BAM! is a helpful way for us to remember we can build and use skills that involve our bodies, actions, and minds to build our resilience. Today, we are going to focus on a skill that reduces stress in our bodies—the next two lessons will focus on our actions and our minds.

So, you did a great job remembering BAM! from last time. In today’s lesson, I’m going to share two words with you that I want you to remember. [Make this lighthearted and fun] But, I’m not going to tell you what they are yet. You have to wait. You’ll know what they are when I get to them! If you don’t remember anything else from today, I hope you’ll at least remember these two words. Are you wondering what they are? Okay, good. I am happy you are curious about them, but you’re going to need to wait a little longer to hear them.

Mind-body connection lesson (3–4 minutes, or longer if needed)

To get us started, we are going to talk about how the mind and body are connected.

Did you know that your thoughts can affect the way your body works? The mind has the power to increase our stress or help us relax, depending on how we use it. One way to move forward from struggles and stress is by better understanding the relationship between our thoughts, actions, and bodies.

[Display the APA mind/body webpage or ask students to review one or both of these pages on their own as an in-class or out-of-class assignment: Stress effects on the body or APA Topics: Stress.]

[You may choose to scroll through the stress/body site to display the different body systems and have students read and discuss how each system is affected by stress. The class could be divided into small groups to each discuss a different system: musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive.]

Optional discussion questions

To be used class-wide or in a small group; following an activity or on their own:

• When you feel nervous or worried, what do you feel in your body?
• Where do you feel stress in the digestive system, nervous system, etc.?
• How would you know when there is stress in your body?

Just Breathe exercise (3–4 minutes)

Now that we know how the mind and body work together, let’s practice using our bodies to calm our minds. When we are facing a threat, our bodies respond in different ways. Some examples might include:

• Muscles tensing and tightening
• Increased heart rate
• Faster breathing/holding breath
• Sweating
• Loss of stamina, feeling tired
• Change in appetite (either increased or decreased)

Often, without even realizing it, when we are stressed or anxious, we hold our breath or take quick, shallow breaths. Unfortunately, when we do that, our bodies reflect the anxiety we feel, and we might find ourselves tensing more or our heart rate increasing.

So, lots of physical changes happen when we face a threat. We don’t have to be facing a real physical threat to experience those physical changes. Even just remembering something stressful from the past or imagining something that could go wrong in the future can bring up those same physical responses. Our minds are that powerful.

Often, what we do is hold our breath or breathe quickly when we are anxious. One of the easiest ways to stop that cycle and calm ourselves down in almost any situation is to practice a simple breathing exercise.

Remember when I mentioned there are two words that I wanted you to remember? Well, here are the magic words: Just. Breathe.

Pretty simple, I know, since the reality is we are breathing all the time. But, what we are going to practice now is different from your everyday breathing. To help us remember to use this strategy when we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, we are going to call this exercise, Just Breathe. Let’s watch a video that walks us through it.

[Show the following video: youtu.be/L_qO0RFmpRkopens in new window OR walk students through the exercise yourself using the instructions below.]

[See the progressive muscle relaxation exercise detailed in lesson 3 as an alternative here or as a supplement if time allows.]

[If using the video, prompt students to participate while the video is playing. Encourage students to practice this exercise outside of class. Students should be told that if they feel uncomfortable at any point, they can just sit quietly and not do the exercise.]

[If not using the video, walk students through the exercise by following this sequence:

• Have everyone breathe in slowly, deeply, as you count to four.
• Ask them to hold their breath for a count of four.
• Then have them slowly let the air out counting to six.
• (REPEAT three times.)]

[After completing the Just Breathe exercise, ask the following questions and continue with the script:]

• How did it feel to take these deep breaths?
• Did anyone feel like they were more tense?
• Did anyone feel like they were more relaxed?
• Did anyone feel silly?

At first, it might feel awkward or uncomfortable to focus on your breath. Or you might feel self-conscious in front of other people. But with practice, this exercise gets easier, and it can help us to take a moment to just center ourselves.

One benefit of paying such close attention to your breath is that it can take your attention away from thoughts and worries that might be swirling through your mind—even just for a few minutes. And sometimes, getting that little bit of space can help prepare us to cope with whatever challenge we might be facing. This is something we will practice more often together because it is so easy and can be done anywhere at any time.

Now, how do your bodies feel? Raise your hand if you feel a little more relaxed.

If you don’t necessarily feel relaxed, that’s OK too. Try practicing when you are at home and feeling a bit more comfortable.

Optional activities

• Engage students by drawing and labeling the impacts of stress on a picture of a body on a board/screen (a small group or individual activity could be to label a picture of a body).
• Use a WebQuest table to look at each body system and give students a space to write/discuss the impacts of stress on that system.
• Show students a video on how stress affects the body, such as How Stress Affects Your Body, a Ted-Ed video by Sharon Horesh Bergquistopens in new window (other videos may be available on YouTube, TedX, or Khan Academy, for example).

Closing (1 minute)

Summary

I see our time is up for today, so I would like to say a few things as we wrap up this session. We learned that stress impacts your body in many ways. We also learned that our mind is connected to our body, and we can control some aspects of our body by using our mind.

We also learned two words. Do you remember what they are?

[Wait for student response]

“Just breathe.” Yes! I hope you remember them and when you do, you stop for two minutes to do what?

[Wait for student response]

Yes! Just breathe.

We will meet again to continue talking about this, as well as a few other things, to help you move forward from the challenges you face. Before we go, I want to ask that you practice the Just Breathe exercise at least once a day. Remember, it’s only for two minutes; you can do it when you first wake up or just before you go to bed, in the car or bus, anywhere. Find a time that works best for you.

[Option: Discuss when students may need to “Just Breathe” during their school day and in other situations.]

[Option: Incorporate a visual aid such as a note on the whiteboard or a poster on the wall in the classroom to help remind students to breathe; encourage students to set an alarm on their phone reminding them to “Just Breathe.” Here are some phone apps that encourage deep breathing: Calm (iOS), Breathe2Relax (iOS)opens in new window, Breathe reminder on Apple Watch, and Google webpage.]

In our next lesson, let’s talk about how often you’ve taken this Just Breathe challenge and what you think about it. Thank you for your attention today and remember to, what? Just breathe!

See the full module document (PDF, 927KB)opens in new window, for a resource list for students who may need additional or outside help.