For the last two weeks, we have discussed the major impact of COVID on our students. COVID has increased anxiety in many of our students. Today we will dive into strategies and tactics to reduce anxiety in our students.

Covid enhanced the anxiety that some students already had and ushered in anxiety in students that had never seen it before. Some students are afraid of getting sick, and some have lost their social skills and are afraid of being at school. Other students are now afraid of being away from their parents. The list goes on and on.

Reducing Anxiety with School-wide Strategies

The environment plays a big role in student anxiety. Start by maintaining a clearly defined structure. In a world that is out of control, students feel more secure when they have a routine and know what is coming. Use posted schedules so they always know what is happening. If the schedule must change for the day, give your students a warning that things will be different. Don’t forget to let them know what is coming up in class. You can do this by writing the agenda on the board.

Remember that students will feed off of the emotions around them. That includes you! If you are stressed and anxious, they will jump all over this. It is amazing how much they pick up even when you don’t think they are paying attention. Stay calm and maintain a calm environment.

Students pick up on your dishonesty as well. It is ok to share your emotions in an age-appropriate manner. This is a great opportunity for you to model appropriate ways to handle emotions.

Create an environment that is accepting of students’ comfort levels with masks. Many students are very excited to get rid of masks. On the other hand, some students are still very fearful of getting sick. Their mask has become a comfort for them. Create an environment that allows students to wear masks within their comfort level.

Reducing Anxiety with Coping Strategies

Take time in your guidance lessons to teach students about their brains. Help them understand what is happening in their brains. When students understand the physiology behind anxiety, it becomes less scary, and they have an increased ability to manage it. If you are looking for pre-made lessons, check out The Mind Trek Program for SEL.

Teach students breathing techniques. Older students respond well to box breathing. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and then repeat. Younger students might respond better to “sniffing the flower/blowing out the candle” Teach them to hold up one finger. Students breathe in, and they pretend like they are sniffing the flower. Instruct students to pretend that they are blowing out a candle as they exhale.

Other breathing techniques include tracing your fingers as you breathe. Hold up your hand with your fingers spread apart. Take your other index finger and trace up and down the fingers of your other hand. As you go up the side of your finger, you breathe in and then breathe out as you trace down the other side. This helps students focus on their breathing and the sensation on their hands instead of the thoughts causing anxiety.

Physical activity is proven to burn off stress hormones. Chair pulls are a simple technique you can use in reducing anxiety. They sit in their chair and place their hands under the seat of their chairs. Students will then pull up on their chairs like they are trying to pick them up. Younger students might benefit more from wall pushes. This is simply standing next to a wall and trying to push it over.

Reducing Anxiety for Students with Higher Needs

A calming corner or calming chair in your room can also be beneficial. Teach students how to take a break in these locations appropriately. You can provide appropriate fidgets. Older students might need a calming chair. You can call this an Alaska Chair, Tahiti Chair, or really any location. It is simply a place in the room where students can go to have a little space. It keeps them in the room but gives them the freedom to self-regulate.

Develop small groups for your students that really struggle with anxiety. During your group meetings, teach calming strategies. Meeting in groups also helps students see that they are not alone in their feelings. It is wonderful when students begin sharing what works for their own anxiety. Groups also help reduce the number of counseling office visits.

Changing the Environment to Reduce Anxiety

Create a system in your building for students to take breaks. Do you have a specific pass to give students to take a break? What locations are appropriate for students to take their break? I use a pass that says “Poof” on the front. Students can show it to their teacher, so they don’t even have to use their words if they are not capable at the moment. On the back of their pass, it lists all of the locations they can go to take their break. The pass also works as their hall pass.

Understand that the cafeteria can be a trigger location for students. It has been a long time since students have had to be social. The cafeteria is also full of many people and usually very loud. This can overstimulate some students. Brainstorm some ways to help students who struggle socially. Can you plan ahead with them where they are going to sit? Some students might need an alternate location to eat their lunch.

Gaining Outside Resources to Reduce Anxiety

Last, some students might need even more resources. They may need a referral to outside therapy. Develop a list for your community where you can refer your students for counseling. This is a great opportunity to look into a partnership with a health network to bring school-based therapy to your school. School-based therapy is an excellent benefit to many students. Typically, the school provides a location for the therapist to work. The therapist bills the student’s insurance and communicates with the family. Students can spend more time in class. Parents do not have to come to school to take their children to therapy.

SEL Unfiltered

Do you want to hear more? Check out the rest of our series on COVID and SEL Skills on our SEL Unfiltered podcast, wherever you stream your podcasts.

Check out other episodes in our COVID and SEL Skills series, including The Impact of COVID on SEL Skills, Recovering from the Impact of COVID, Reversing Apathy, and Resilience and ACE Scores.

Game of the Week

Every week on SEL Unfiltered, we like to bring you a game or activity. You can use the game with your students, in the classroom, or in a small group. This week Kaitlin and I discussed having a Question Wall.

A question wall is a great way to get students engaged and thinking. It gives them a voice but also maintains some anonymity. Simply put, a question wall is a question on a wall. Use your whiteboard or a large piece of paper. Add your question to the wall and allow students to write their answers.

One of the most convenient ways to do a question wall is to have it ready before class. Students should write their answers on the wall as they walk into the classroom. The questions can be brainteasers, thought-provoking, or related to your topic of discussion.

Once students have had an opportunity to write their answers, you can discuss the answers as a class. If you are looking for a more tech-savvy question wall, you can use a site such as Mentimeter.