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Anxiety & Stress

Breathing and Grounding Exercises

This resource offers two strategies to calm, ground, and refocus oneself in times of need.  

Breathing and Grounding Printable Quick Sheet

Wellness Education Lab  

Explore short and engaging trainings designed for students 13 years or older about “Rethinking Anxiety” and “Mental Health Foundations.” Training is also available to parents/guardians and educators/school staff.  

WellnessEdLab.org

Is it Stress or Anxiety?

An infographic from the National Institute of Health compares and contrasts anxiety and stress and provides resources to help whenever a person is experiencing either.

Infographic describing the similarities and differences of stress and anxiety, ways to cope with each, and how to find support.
English PDF
Spanish infographic describing the similarities and differences of stress and anxiety, ways to cope with each, and how to find support.
Spanish PDF

How to Deal with Anxiety

This website provides connections to volunteer Crisis Counselors 24/7. It provides options to text, chat online, or message on WhatsApp. The resource page at this link also provides information about anxiety and resources for treating anxiety. 

Crisis Text Line - What is Anxiety 

Dear Stress, I'm over you.

Dear Stress is a new resource to help young people manage stress with three easy strategies.

Dear Stress Toolkit
English PDF
Spanish PDF

Tips to Improve Sleep

Try one or two of the tips below and see how they may help you:

  1. Exercise daily: Even a ten-minute walk daily in the sunlight has been shown to have
    positive effects on sleep and reducing tension in the body often associated with anxiety
    and stress.
  2. Decrease lights and cut off electronics: One to two hours before bed, start reducing the
    lights in your home, and get off electronics when possible. This includes your cell phone,
    computers, tablets, and video games.
  3. Use blue light blockers: If using electronics before bed, it is best to use blue light blockers
    or apps to reduce stimulation to the brain that later will negatively affect your sleep.
  4. Drink a warm beverage: Try a hot beverage before bed, such as a non-caffeinated herbal
    tea, milk, lemon water.
  5. Stretch before bed. For any long slow stretches, listen to your body, don't over-stretch or
    hurt yourself.
  6. Read a book.
  7. Listen to a calm story or music.
  8. Take a warm shower.
  9. Do not drink caffeinated beverages after 2:00 pm.

San Diego County Office of Education Virtual Wellness Center

This virtual center offers myriad resources for students of all ages as well as parents/caregivers and is divided into different categories, including Coloring and Creativity, Journaling, and Virtual Tours and Webcams. Some resources offer information, some offer opportunities to calm and refocus a person in a time of need.  

SDCOE Virtual Wellness Center
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At Altus Schools, we have developed a comprehensive mental health program that consists of several elements designed to support students directly and build staff capacity to create safe and supportive learning environments that are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and that connect students and families to appropriate resources. Highlights of our mental health program include (1) teachers who are specially trained in suicide screening, trauma-informed practices, human trafficking prevention, and socio-emotional learning; (2) strategic partnerships with community organizations to provide mental health services; (3) a team of school nurses; (4) a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; (5) a Healthy Youth Department that coordinates student webinars and professional learning to support students’ mental health and wellness; (6) student webinars with socio-emotional learning through our Resilience in Students and Education (RISE) series; (7) suicide prevention, intervention and postvention protocols; (8) tools for connecting students and families to information resources; (9) parent/guardian webinars through our Family Learning Series on student mental health, wellness, and community resources; and (10) administration of special programs and coordination of services for identified student groups.