Jul 31 2009
Stress Management Activities For Teens Help Manage Stress
Stress is a universal phenomenon. Such feelings will be experienced by individuals of all backgrounds and ages at some point in their lifetime. However, though everyone experiences some form of stress, not everyone has the skills to deal with the emotions. Thus, kids and teens are susceptible to letting their stress get out of hand because they do not have the coping skills to work through or manage it. This is why stress management activities for teens and kids is so important.
Let It Out
One of the best stress management activities for teens is to have them let out their frustration by playing a game. Fun stress management activities are often game-related, even if you’re working with teens. Thus, consider playing a game like Screaming Toes. This game consists of the teens gather around in a circle. Then, each person is supposed to look at another's toes in the circle. Have them do this stealthily so that the other folks don't know who's looking where.
Then, on the count of three, the teens look up at the person whose shoes they’ve been looking. If two people are looking at each other, you have them perform a scream off. The winner is determined by the last person screaming. This exercise is fun and shows the teens the merits of a good, private scream and how something as simple as going off on one’s own and letting out a scream can really help the body.
After such stress management activities for teens, you can explain how the body is affected by stress and that doing something like going for a run, performing yoga, or having a private scream can really make all the difference.
Relaxation Techniques
Other stress management activities for teens that work are those that give them specific strategies for how to calm down when they are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, or any number of other emotions. Thus, try teaching your teens some basic breathing and yoga exercises. This could end up being a lot of fun and will help give the teens basic tools for how to take time out of a situation.
Other effective stress management group activities for teens include things like karate, punching bags, dodge ball, and even having the teens throw things like fruit and eggs at walls. This way, the teens can have the chance to do things about their stress rather than try to hide it. If they spend their day throwing pumpkins and pineapples at wall, they are bound to have fun.
