“Only one person wasn’t joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles...
‘Did you even come to the match?' he asked her.
‘Of course I did,” said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. “And I’m very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday....I’ve still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!’ said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical.”
~ from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Today is National Stress Awareness Day. When I think of stressed out students, I think of Hermione in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. But stress happens to everyone, not just (spoiler alert!) witches who are using magic to turn back the clock and take double classes.
Reading is a great way to unwind and release some tension, so last year we marked National Stress Awareness Day with a post about our favorite books to de-stress. This year, we’ve rounded up tips and resources from Scholastic to help you manage the unavoidable stress in your life:
Choices magazine shares great articles and videos to help:
- Try yoga: It’s not all about twisting yourself into a pretzel or doing a headstand. Check out some of these basic poses, including Corpse Pose, which they suggest to help after a hard day.
- Work out: Among other potential issues, stress and anxiety have been linked to headaches. They suggest exercising – even if it’s just for 10 minutes – to reduce stress.
- From Gah! To Ahh… How To Deal With Stress: With tips including breathing exercises and writing in a journal, this article shares some simple tricks to help you handle stress.
For more ideas, watch these How to Deal videos from Choices:
Scholastic’s parents team and Parent & Child magazine share resources for parents to identify stress and anxiety in kids and keep them calm:
- How to Spot and Treat Anxiety in Children
- 8 Warning Signs That Your Child Is Under Too Much Stress
- Teachable Moments: Keeping Your Kids Stress-Free
- Stress Management for Tweens: Start Slow
- Is Your Child Stressed? Then Listen Up.
Check out these stress busters for teachers and students
- Feeling Stressed? Easy-to-Use Stress-Busting Tips
- Stress Management for Kids and Teachers
- 15 Stress-Busting Tips From Teachers
- Ask a Psychologist: My Students Get So Stressed!
- ABC’s for a Low-Stress School Year
There are some great resources to help you through stressful times, so just remember to keep calm and keep breathing.
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