JOSEPHITES LEARN THE ART OF DESTRESSING

              Give your stress wings and let it fly away.” —Terri Guillemets 

No matter how easy going you are, life can get stressful. Like any problem, stress requires a strategic approach to conquer, or at least manage. Stress is real, but we always have a choice–we can let it consume us or we learn to control it. 

At St. Joseph’s Sr. Sec. School, Sector 44-D, Chandigarh, child specific stress busting activities are conducted to help students cope with these feelings of emotional and physical tension. The advent of the Corona and the consequent lockdown wrought havoc the world over. Students especially, are more vulnerable and thus, facing such a situation where we seem to have no control over the outcome, puts them under a lot of pressure. 

In times of uncertainty, the best we can do is to teach our children ways to understand and cope with stress. 

The reopening of schools provided one such opportunity. Students of the Middle Block partook in interactive group discussions related to stress and ways to contend with it. Three innovative activities aided in bringing about a positive change in their attitude. 

Children of class 6 were asked to hold a glass of water for some time. They were asked to observe their reaction. They found that the longer they held the glass, the more difficult it became. Similarly, when we keep holding onto our stress we find it very fatiguing. In this way, they learnt to let go and not dwell on negative thoughts. 

In class 7, pupils were made to hear a song, and at the snap of the teacher’s fingers, they were to look away- anywhere other than the teacher. This helped them to learn how to distance themselves from the stressful situations at hand and focus on something else. 

Students of class 8 were assigned the task of balancing a plateful of cotton balls on their heads. They were asked to remove as many cotton balls as they could, using a spoon. This drove home the fact that we do have the power to remove the stress that occupies our mind and drains all our energy and positivity. 

It was an enriching experience for the Josephites who thoroughly enjoyed cheering one another as they participated in the activities.