Relaxation Skills for High School Students: How to Cope with Stress & Anxiety | Child Mind Institute

High schoolers manage a lot. Many days they juggle schoolwork, extracurricular activities, jobs and relationships with friends and family. They also grapple with larger issues like
forming their identity, gaining independence, and preparing for the future.

In this video, teens learn that the stress, anxiety and frustration that often come with these experiences produce uncomfortable physical sensations due to our flight, fight, or freeze response. Effective relaxation skills, like paced belly breathing, help to calm the body and turn down the intensity of these unpleasant feelings.

Below is a summary of PACED BELLY BREATHING, one of the key relaxation skills in the video.
• Belly breathing is breathing slowly and deeply at a steady pace. By slowing their inhales and extending their exhales, your
child can use their breath to harness control of their emotions.
• Belly breathing balances out the carbon dioxide and oxygen in kids’ bodies, cutting off their fight, flight, or freeze response.
It returns their mind and body to a calmer state.

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The California Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Project is series of free, evidence-based video and print resources that caregivers and educators can use to teach their kids critical mental health and coping skills. The project was born of an innovative partnership between the state of California and the Child Mind Institute.