This document provides a lesson plan for teaching 5th and 6th grade students about stress. It defines stress, explains how stress physically affects the body through the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, and how it impacts various bodily systems. The lesson teaches students how to identify stress in themselves, prevent stress from becoming overwhelming, and reduce stress through exercises like deep breathing, neck relaxation, reframing negative thoughts, and more. It assesses students' understanding of these key stress concepts.

1. A Mental Health Lesson for 5th/6th Graders
By Miriam Fleck

2. Lesson Objectives:
Students will learn about the concept of stress.
Students will learn how to identify stress within
themselves, and how stress affects their bodies and
decisions.
Students will learn how to prevent stress from
becoming overwhelming.
Students will learn how to reduce stress with
exercises they can utilize in various situations.

3. Sunshine State Standards:
 HE.5.B.3.5: Select a healthy option when making decisions for yourself and/or others.
HE.6.C.1.2: Describe how the physical, mental/emotional, social, and intellectual
dimensions of health are interrelated.
HE.5.C.1.2: Explain the physical, mental/emotional, social, and intellectual dimensions
of health.
HE.5.P.1.2: Apply a variety of healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve
personal health.
Necessary Equipment:
Projector
Projection Screen
Laptop
PowerPoint Software
Optional: Flash drive
Procedures/Activities:
Activities to reduce stress: Hand Alternations, Deep Breathing, Drawing With Your
Nose: A Neck Tension Relieving Exercise, Reframing: How to Change Your Perception
and Change Your Reaction.

4. Stress
• Stress is a physiological response by the body
to a stimulus. In other words, stress is the
strain caused by our responses to pressure.
• Stress can be physical, emotional, or mental
tension.
• Stress itself is not necessarily bad.

5. Are you stretched too far?
When we have stress (good or
bad), we are like a rubber band
being stretched out. Usually, we can
return to our normal shape once the
stressor is relieved.
But what if we’re spread too thin?
Even if we don’t break, are we really
the same as before?
How much stress can we really
handle?

6. How does Stress affect us?
• 2/3 of all Doctor visits are related to stress
• Bad Habits (drugs, alcohol, tobacco)
• Sleep Problems
• Bullying/Fighting
• Driving/Car Accidents
• Heart Disease, High Blood
Pressure, migraines, cancer, etc.
• School/Work productivity
• Poor Judgment/Decision-Making

7. STRESS ALL OVER
Stress affects every
bodily system
•Cardiovascular
•Nervous System
•Respiratory
•Digestive System
•Muscular
•Immune System
•Endocrine
•Lymphatic
•Skeletal
•Urinary

8. Stressor
Central Nervous
System
CORTISOL ADRENALIN
Readies our bodies for Increases heart rate
injury or infection
Helps us remember
vital information Gives us energy

9. HEART MUSCLES BLOOD
heart rate increases due to Tighten: Fight/Flight/Freeze Flow to brain and muscles increase by 400%
adrenalin surge
LUNGS SKIN STOMACH
Breathing increases, oxygen is Perspiration (sweat) rises Digestion Slows/Stops
delivered to muscles

10. How do you feel when you’re stressed?

11. How do you deal with stress?
Ask yourself:
• Where in my body am I
holding my stress?
• How do I feel?
• Are there stressors I can
eliminate (temporary or
permanent)
• What are my choices?

12. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

13. LEFT BRAIN vs. RIGHT BRAIN
When we’re stressed, the two hemispheres of our brain
have difficulty communicating with each other, but there
are ways to get them talking again.

14. BREATHE
Taking deep breaths slows your heart rate, gives mental
clarity, releases body toxins, eases pain, aids
digestion, improves physical stamina, improves blood
quality,
and releases tension.

15. Stress can cause us to have tension in our
necks. We can relieve this tension by
“tracing” a small infinity symbol with our nose!

16. Counting Backwards

17. REFRAMING
When we look at
our problems in
a new way, it
becomes easier
to handle them.

18. Assessment:
 What is stress?
Is stress good, bad, or neither?
How does our body react to stress?
What chemicals are released in our body when we feel
stressed?
How does our brain react to stress?
What 3 things can help us to prevent stress?
What can we do if we feel stressed? Name 3 activities we can
do to reduce our stress in the moment.
How does deep breathing help us to de-stress?
What is reframing?
How does reframing help us to de-stress?