Feeling Frazzled? Stress and What to Do about It

Description:
In this activity, students discuss what's bad and good about stress and some of the biggest stressors for kids their age. They go to the BAM! Web site and take the Stress-O-Meter test to help them gauge their own level of stress and learn about new ways to relieve their personal stress. In a class discussion, students learn more about the differences between short- and long-term stress. They keep a stress diary, and evaluate whether their methods for reducing stress were successful.

Objectives:
Students will:

• Discuss the good and bad characteristics of stress
• Differentiate between short- and long-term stress
• Explore and make a plan to use new ways to relieve stress
• Describe their own sources of stress and evaluate whether the stress-relief methods they used were successful

Relevant Standards:
This activity fulfills science and health education standards.

BAM! Body and Mind Resources:

• Feelin' Frazzled...? — 10 suggestions for relieving short-term stress.
• Got Butterflies? Find Out Why. — An interactive feature that teaches what short-term and long-term stress do to the body and how to cope with them.