3.4 Stress Management
Instructor Preparation and Summary
In this unit, you will teach students how to cope in a positive way with stress in their lives. College is a fertile ground to develop stress and it is no different for students with unique learning needs. Stress is an abstract concept and abstract concepts can be challenging for many students. This unit provides some concrete ways to engage with the concept through H5P activities, hands on activities and group work. The group activity provides an opportunity for students to discuss their feelings of stress and choose some healthy coping strategies as a group.
Stress impacts our mental health and by opening up the discussion on this topic, you can begin to decrease the stigma attached to discussing mental health. There is a great deal of content to cover in this unit, and it might be preferable to divide the unit into chunks to meet your students needs.
The principles of Universal Design for Learning are incorporated into the variety of activities in this unit.
This unit will help some students to:
- Define Stress
- Describe the difference between good stress and bad stress.
- List the physical and emotional problems that can result from stress.
- Identify things in their life that they can and can’t control.
- Explain healthy responses to stress.
- Apply healthy responses to stress in their own life.
Classroom Activities
Videos
Click through the following interactive video carousel to view each video. There are 3 in total.
Interactive Elements
Below is an alternate version of the Stress Knowledge Quiz (which appears in the level 2 and 3 assessments below) in an Interactive H5P format:
Below is an alternate version of the Things I Can and Can’t Control Activity (which appears in the level 1 assessment below) in an Interactive H5P format.
Instructions: Look at the list of things that are listed below the circles. Now think about if this is something that is in your control or not. If it is something you can control, then drag it to the circle that has Things I Can Control in it.. If it is something that you can’t control, then drag it to the circle that has Things I Can’t Control in it.
Applied Learning Assessments
Instructor Resources
Slide Deck
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills (MS PowerPoint)
Worksheets
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Things I Can and Cant Control Activity Level 1 (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Things I Can and Cant Control Activity Level 1 (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Things I Can and Can’t Control Activity – Level 2 and 3 (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Things I Can and Can’t Control Activity – Level 2 and 3 (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Meditation Reflection Log Level 2 (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Meditation Reflection Log Level 2 (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Reduce Your Stress Level Activity Level 3 Worksheet (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Reduce Your Stress Level Activity Level 3 Worksheet (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Stress Knowledge Quiz (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Stress Knowledge Quiz (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – What Would You Do Activity – Stress Scenarios (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – What Would You Do Activity – Stress Scenarios (PDF)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Good2Talk Counselling (MS Word)
- Unit 3.4 Stress Management Skills – Good2Talk Counselling (PDF)
References
A Guide for Successful Students by Irene Stewart and Aaron Maisonville is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. (Adapted: for paraphrased key takeaways and students responses to stress)
University Success – 2nd Edition by University of Saskatchewan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. (Adapted: for student questionnaire into a list)
Blueprint for Success in College: Indispensable Study Skills and Time Management Strategies by Dave Dillon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.. (Adapted for Reduce Your Stress Activity)
