September Skills: coping in the classroom

In our third part of our September Skills series, we’re talking about how to fundamentally use certain skills while attending school.

A lot of my clients come to me with the concern of “how can I use skills when I am in school?” Oftentimes, we focus on the skills that would be hard to access in a classroom like listening to music or going for a run-although excellent ways of coping with stress, somewhat difficult to employ while learning math ! The solution to the question lies in the creativity of the user, in other words- let’s look for the skills that work that we can access anywhere !

Here are some coping skills that can used in the classroom:

Paced Breathing→ Paced breathing is when we breathe within an interval of our choice. For example, taking a deep breath in for 4 seconds and then releasing it for 4 seconds, oftentimes I challenge children to start with one number and see if they can move up every few intervals. 

Senses check in→ This involves each of our five senses and accessing the environment around us. The idea is so noticeable in that present moment, what can you see, hear, feel, taste or hear around you. 

Positive Affirmations→ repeating a personal mantra or a quote that has always resonated with you can silently bring calmness to an otherwise anxiety provoking situation, a positive affirmation i often say is “I will grow from this moment”. These reminders can serve as grounding placeholders in anyone’s mind ! 

The list of skills goes on and on, it’s up to us to find the ones that work for each individual person and remind them in times of need to pull them from their own personal coping bank to persevere through the moment-even if it’s during a math lesson.