When you are feeling really stressed out, what do you do in order to relax? This is the question that the Rocky View Schools’ Stepping Stones to Mental Health program is asking its students. Currently, the program is running an art contest that encourages students to use a creative medium in order to convey what makes their stress melt away.
The art piece can be created by means of painting, sculpting, making a song, or anything that uses the fine arts in order to show their de-stressing activity. Students are also encouraged to enter their masterpiece before the upcoming due date of February 24th in hopes of winning the grand prize, a $100 gift card to CrossIron Mills mall.
An article written by Adam Miller in The Globe and Mail on June 17th, 2013 talked about a survey that was conveyed to show the stress levels of Canadian students of the previous year. 30,000 students took part in the survey that was conducted, and one of the things that was discovered was, “almost 90% of students said that they felt overwhelmed by all they had to do in the past year.” This fact shows how truly important it is in order to have an activity to turn to in order to periodically distance yourself from stressful circumstances.
Lori Steenberg, a success coach at Chestermere High, shares why it is important for a person of any age to have an outlet they can use to relax. “It is important for people to look out for themselves and to relieve stress in a healthy and positive way. If not, it can come out negatively and even dangerously,” Steenberg says. There are many different activities that people can use to deal with stress in a healthy way. For example, some individuals enjoy reading, playing an instrument, or listening to music in order to achieve this. The Harvard Medical School Mind-Body Institute conducted research on knitting and crocheting to find that while an individual knits and crochets, their heart rate can drop 11 beats a minute as well as reduce their blood pressure. Lori hopes to create a time to have a knitting block where students can come and not only learn something new, but help reduce any stress they may be experiencing.
Kids are under different kinds of pressures while being a student in this generation, teenagers in particular. Growing up in a time of such rapid technological advancements has allowed teenagers to adapt easily to different means of technology, but has also opened a large door that has released many different factors of stress upon them. Kids of all ages are familiar with many different types of media such as Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. Through cyber-bullying and images of photo shopped men and women, people of any age are faced with emotional, mental, and even physical stress. On top of this factor, teenagers are faced with the load of homework and the stress that comes with keeping up a high average to be able to gain entrance to post-secondary schools. For many, as the study Adam Miller wrote about, this causes majority of students to feel overwhelmed and completely stressed out. This truth is what makes having a relaxing outlet so crucial for a person of any age, especially students.
Instances like that are when such useful programs like the Stepping Stones program come in handy. Being able to give students the opportunity to share what helps them distance themselves from stress also encourages others to pick up a relaxing activity. Other than the current art contest and programs implemented in the school, the Stepping Stones program is also involved in the community. Their ‘Deal With It’ program focuses primarily with helping students who experience test anxiety, which can negatively impact their performance in school. “We enjoy offering a safe place for students to come clear their minds and reduce their stress,” says Lori. Currently, the Stepping Stones program is accessible to students at Bert Church High, Chestermere High, and George McDougall High School. If you are interested in learning more about this project you can contact Project Coordinator Jodi Neetz, at jneetz@rockyveiw.ab.ca.
