Program Description:

Stress Less: Resilience for Success is an in-school presentation for middle and high school students. Teenagers are experiencing stress at high levels for many different reasons: school, friendships, family relationships, extracurricular activities, and more. This presentation teaches students how to identify causes of stress, develop stress management techniques, and practice mindfulness. Mindfulness not only reduces stress and anxiety in individuals but leads to better school performance and overall well-being. By addressing this community need, NAMI Metro Suburban hopes to teach students how to reduce stress and practice good mental health behaviors. 

What Students Will Gain?

Students will learn to define stress and about the various types of stress/stressors. Through discussion, students will be able to identify sources of stress and recognize the signs and symptoms of stress in themselves and others. The presentation promotes students’ resiliency through practice of self-compassion and mindfulness. Students will practice mindfulness and grounding exercises during the presentation.

What Students Are Saying?

“I like how this presentation defined terms adults use without always knowing if kids understand the terms or not. It’s hard to build one’s resiliency if you’re not sure what it is. So, I feel this presentation gave us all common vocabulary around stress and stress reduction. Further, the example strategies were good, and the facilitators worked to include examples young people can relate to.” – Tara Zinger – Roosevelt Middle School

“The information is so important for our students right now. This provided me with an opportunity to talk to my students about mindfulness and stress.” – Terri Palluzzi – St. Joseph High School