What Is it All About?
Working with a partner, students brainstorm a list of coping strategies for dealing with feelings of stress or sadness. Students write these on posters and display them in common areas of a school.
Why Do It?
Everyone has feelings of stress or sadness at some time in their life. Sharing strategies to cope with stress not only helps you to realise you aren’t alone with such feelings, but you may also learn about other ways to cope with your thoughts and feelings.
How Do We Do It?
Working with a partner, students brainstorm a list of “Manage” messages that are positive and offer ideas for how students can be resilient when feeling stressed or sad. Be sure to include access to school and local resources that are available to students who may need or want more assistance. Examples of such resources include a school social worker, guidance counsellor, or psychologist.
Consult with your teacher or school mental health professionals to vet the planned content for students' posters.
Pairs work together to put their choice of “Manage” messages on poster paper.
Have pairs hang their “Manage” messages in common areas around the school.
What Else Do We Need?
- Markers
- Poster paper
How Do We Get Creative?
Students include affirmations, or motivational quotations, with their “Manage” messages.
Begin the day with student leaders choosing a poster to read during announcements. Consider having students reflect on what the words mean to them in order to help set the tone.
Adapted from: Alberta Education. Mental Health Matters. Retrieved from https://www.alberta.ca/mental-health-in-schools