Helping Students Cope with Stress through Self-Awareness
RITCH HOCHSTETLER
- March 27, 2020
- , 12:34 pm
- , Blog
Self-awareness is the ability to accurately perceive your own emotions in the moment and understand your tendencies across situations. It’s even listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the 10 core life skills. In this strange time of crisis, it’s vital to help kids develop this skill by recognizing and naming their emotions.
One of our ULEAD Card SEL activities is called “When I Feel..” or “I Feel…” In this activity you read the emotion word on the card and put it in a “finish-the-sentence” statement to name your response.
For example:
When I feel afraid, I (do what?)
or
I feel afraid when…
In this time of heightened anxiety and fear, it’s also important to help students recognize the positive emotions they may be experiencing, even if in short bursts or moments. Optimism is a hopeful, positive outlook on the future, yourself, and the world around you. It is a key part of resilience, the inner strength that helps you get through tough times. By definition, optimism helps you see, feel, and think positively.
For more information about ULEAD cards and activities go to uleadinc.org/cards/.
Ritch Hochstetler, President and CEO at ULEAD