“Stress is the number one cause of medical visits in this country; if we are to prepare our children to live in the 21st century, than we need to teach them the skills to deal with stress and promote physical and emotional wellness. Resiliency skills are as important for our children and teens as any other skill they will learn in school, because these are skills they will need to call upon in all aspects of their lives.”
- Dr. Herbert Benson
Mind Body Medicine Pioneer
The Consequences of Chronic Stress
Studies suggest that American children are more stressed than ever. Suicides among adolescents have quadrupled since the 1950s. In one major study, only 36 percent of 7th graders agreed with the statement “I am happy with my life;” and in the past decade, the use of pharmaceuticals to treat emotional disorders has increased 68 percent for girls, and 30 percent for boys.
Chronic stress can prevent a young person’s brain from developing properly, leading to significantly impaired learning and emotional regulation. Stress can also lead to health problems later in life including alcoholism, depression, eating disorders, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. For parents and kids, finding effective techniques to reduce stress can be the key to navigating the challenges of childhood and teenage years so that they can reach their full potential.
Signals your child is stressed:
If your child is experiencing the following symptoms, they are likely experiencing stress, and may benefit from the Resilient Youth program:
Physical Symptoms
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Headaches
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Stomachaches
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Tight neck, shoulders
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Sleep difficulties
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Restlessness
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Sweaty or cold palms
Behavioral
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Lashing out
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Critical attitude towards others
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Inability to get things done
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Grinding teeth at night
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Compulsive eating or chewing gum
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Disconnected from friends/loved ones
Emotional
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Crying
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Overwhelming sense of pressure
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Gets easily upset
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Anger
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Loneliness
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Edginess
Cognitive
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Forgetfulness
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Memory loss
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Trouble thinking clearly
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Trouble concentrating
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Constant worry
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Loss of sense of humor
The SMART Youth Program
The SMART youth program utilizes the SMART (Stress Management and Resiliency Training) program which brings relaxation response-based coping skills and life management tools into the school/home environment to help educators and students better manage daily stress, and positively impact student’s academic performance and health. The program doesn’t attempt to make each day at school stress-free but does provide school communities with stress management tools that can help students feel calm and ready to learn and teachers to feel re-energized and focused.
Implementing the SMART program into the school environment would consist of meeting once a week for 8 consecutive weeks for 60 – 90 minutes and participants will learn:
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Stress Awareness – how chronic stress impacts your capacity to learn
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Dialogue on stress – signs, symptoms, solutions, defining stress
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Relaxation Response (RR): physiology
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Relaxation Response Exercises – including deep breathing, body awareness/yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, visualization
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Goal Setting – Increase your success by clarifying your study plan with measurable goals.
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To Decrease Test Anxiety – How to feel more in control in test situations.
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Learn coping skills to feel more in control of your life
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To incorporate the RR into daily life
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Integrating mind/body interventions into schools: training for implementation
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Practice using and teaching skills
Cost: The cost of this program will vary based on group size. This cost will include all course materials and the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital SMART manual.
Michelle’s mindfulness class came at a time in my life when I was experiencing some stressful situations. The class was helpful in allowing me to understand and to learn how to cope with these and other situations. Her caring and gentleness made it easy to open up about things. The class taught me how to incorporate these tools into my daily life and she is always willing to talk to me about mindfulness even after taking the class a year ago.