5 Stress Management Techniques for Students Feeling Overwhelmed

November 19, 2024 byConnections Academy

3 min to read

An adult and a child sitting on a couch in a relaxed pose, both wearing casual grey clothes and appearing to meditate to help manage stress.

School can be stressful for any student. Whether stress comes at the end of the school year, right before mid-terms, or even at the beginning of the semester, families can help their students ease their stress with the help of these easy habits for all ages.

Why is School so Stressful for Students?

There are a lot of different reasons why your child could be feeling stressed about school. They might have a heavy course load, teachers who assign a lot of homework, be under pressure to excel academically, have large projects or tests to prep for, have trouble staying organized, or have issues with their friends or peers. Other things like having too little personal time to decompress or not getting enough sleep can cause or exacerbate stress.

How Do I Know if my Child is Stressed?

Signs of stress in children and teens include:

Emotional outbursts
Issues with sleep
Headaches
Changes with eating
Malaise
Anxiety
Decreased concentration
Mood swings

Your child may also come to you and say that they’re feeling stressed out or having trouble with their schoolwork.

Stress Management Activities for Students

One of the strategies you can use to help your child cope with stress and improve their mental health is to create a Stress Management Kit, or a collection of techniques they can use in the moment to help them feel less overwhelmed and regain their calm and focus.

Below are some techniques and tools for managing stress that you can use to help your student build their Stress Management Kit.

1. Breathing techniques

There are several breathing techniques that can help manage your child’s stress levels such as box breathing, a technique where breath is inhaled for four beats, held for four beats, released for four beats, and then held again for four beats. Have your student try this technique for one to two minutes at a time to help lower stress and anxiety in the moment, or as part of a regular wellness routine.

2. Journaling 

If your child feels overwhelmed, writing down their anxieties can get their fears out of their head and onto paper. This not only helps them feel like they have a place to talk about their anxieties but gives you a chance to identify their triggers together and create a plan to address them, which can set your child’s mind at ease. Questions students can use to explore their stress responses can be:

Where do I feel stress in my body?
What small steps can I take today to help release some stress?
What emotional, physical, or mental need can I connect to this stress?
What do I need to feel calm right now?

3. Guided imagery

Building out a detailed imaginary space in their mind is a great grounding technique for managing stress. Getting specific with the sounds, smells, and textures of their imagined space can help them focus their nervous energy off of stressors and into creating a place where they feel comfortable and relaxed. For example, if your student’s favorite place is the soccer field, ask them to envision themselves there. Are they on a field outside? Can they smell the grass? What is the temperature of the air around them? What time of day is it? What is the light like? Focusing on the fine details of a place that makes them feel happy is a great way to manage a stressful moment.

4. Creative expression

Sometimes getting creative is just what your child needs to take their mind off a tough problem. Molding clay, painting, drawing, or playing an instrument can help bring down stress hormone levels and help switch their brain from school mode to play mode. Art therapy has also been shown to build self-confidence and help process emotions. To ensure your student is set up for success, include the supplies for their favorite craft project or hobby in your kit and make it a regular part of their day.

5. Getting active

Physical activity is important for children of all ages, and has been shown to decrease feelings of tension, improve self-esteem, and stabilize moods. Factoring time for it into your schedule is key, so encourage your student to go on a bike ride, do some yoga, play with a hula hoop, jump rope, or keep a basketball handy to get their hearts pumping and burn off anxiety.

Online School Can Support Your Child’s Stress Management

The built-in flexibility of schools like Connections Academy not only allows your child to complete their schoolwork when it works for them but empowers students to take control of their learning environment to reduce anxiety, stress, and pressure. Find out more about how online school works or request information to see schedule examples, online class demos and more.