Lesson Plan
Self-Care Blueprint
Guide each student through a personalized self-care blueprint, teaching stress-management techniques and setting actionable wellness goals in a 30-minute one-on-one session.
High schoolers face rising stress and mental health challenges; individualized self-care planning fosters resilience, improves coping skills, and promotes ongoing emotional well-being.
Audience
High School Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Hands-on, one-on-one coaching with guided reflection.
Prep
Prepare Materials and Space
10 minutes
- Review Wellness Essentials Slide Deck
- Familiarize yourself with My Self-Care Tracker Journal
- Print or queue up Self-Care Share Discussion Guide
- Arrange a private, comfortable meeting area
- Test any tech (projector, tablet) needed for slide deck
Step 1
Welcome & Check-In
5 minutes
- Greet the student warmly and ask about their current mood or stressors
- Have them open My Self-Care Tracker Journal and briefly review any recent entries
- Use prompts: "What felt supportive this week? What felt challenging?"
Step 2
Self-Care Essentials Overview
8 minutes
- Present core self-care strategies via Wellness Essentials Slide Deck
- Highlight physical, emotional, social, and cognitive wellness techniques
- Pause for student questions and relate each strategy to their experiences
Step 3
Blueprint Creation
10 minutes
- Guide the student in drafting their personal Self-Care Blueprint in the journal:
- Identify top stress triggers and preferred coping methods
- Choose at least one daily and one weekly self-care activity
- Allocate realistic time slots for these activities
- Encourage specificity (days of week, durations) and note resources needed
Step 4
Reflection & Goal Setting
5 minutes
- Prompt the student to reflect:
- "Which activity feels most doable this week?"
- "How will you know it’s helping?"
- Have them write one SMART goal in My Self-Care Tracker Journal
- Discuss potential obstacles and brainstorm quick solutions
Step 5
Wrap-Up & Share
2 minutes
- Use Self-Care Share Discussion Guide to ask:
- "What is your key takeaway from today’s plan?"
- "How confident are you on a scale of 1–5?"
- Confirm next check-in session date and encourage ongoing journal updates
Slide Deck
Wellness Essentials
Unlock your self-care potential with practical strategies for daily life.
Welcome participants. Introduce the purpose: explore core self-care strategies to build resilience and manage stress. Explain that this deck will guide reflection and planning.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care consists of intentional actions to maintain and improve your physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and spiritual well-being.
Define self-care and emphasize that it’s an active, ongoing process—not a one-time treat. Encourage questions or examples of what they already do to care for themselves.
Categories of Self-Care
• Physical: exercise, sleep, nutrition
• Emotional: journaling, creative expression, therapy
• Social: peer support, quality time, healthy boundaries
• Cognitive: learning new skills, problem-solving, mindfulness
• Spiritual: meditation, nature walks, personal values exploration
Briefly walk through each category. Invite students to name a self-care activity they already practice in each area.
Stress Management Techniques
• Deep Breathing (4-7-8 technique)
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
• Mindfulness & Meditation
• Mindful Movement (yoga, stretching)
Explain each stress technique step-by-step. Optionally guide a 1-minute breathing or muscle relaxation demo.
Personalizing Your Plan
Reflect on:
• Your top stressors
• Activities that energize or calm you
• Potential barriers to self-care
• How you’ll schedule daily and weekly practices
Prompt students to reflect aloud or in their journal. Capture responses and relate back to categories.
Taking Action
• Pick one daily self-care activity
• Pick one weekly self-care activity
• Track progress in your journal
• Write one SMART goal for the coming week
Refer students to My Self-Care Tracker Journal for recording activities and progress. Remind them to set one SMART goal and prepare to share in the next check-in.
Journal
My Self-Care Tracker Journal Template
Daily Self-Care Log
Date: ____________________
- Mood Rating (1–10): __________
- How am I feeling today? Describe emotions and any triggers:
- Top stressors I faced:
- Self-care activities I practiced:
- What helped me most, and what could be improved?
Weekly Reflection & SMART Goal
- What self-care successes did I have this week?
- Obstacles I encountered:
- My SMART goal for next week (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound):
- Action steps to reach this goal:
- How I will track and measure progress:
Discussion
Self-Care Share Discussion Guide
Purpose
This guide helps students reflect on their personalized self-care blueprint, verbalize their plans, and identify supports and next steps.
Guidelines
- Speak one at a time and listen respectfully.
- Be honest and specific in your responses.
- Offer supportive feedback if others share.
- Keep contributions focused and concise.
Discussion Questions
- Key Takeaway
• What is your single most important insight from today’s session?
Follow-up: Why does this stand out for you? - Chosen Activities
• Which daily self-care activity did you select?
• Which weekly activity did you choose?
Follow-up: How did you decide these were a good fit? - Identifying Obstacles
• What challenge do you anticipate when you try to maintain these activities?
Follow-up: What’s one strategy you can use right away if that obstacle arises? - Confidence Rating
• On a scale of 1–5, how confident are you that you will follow your self-care blueprint this week?
Follow-up: What would help you move your confidence up one level? - Support & Resources
• What support (people, tools, reminders) do you need to stick to your plan?
Next Steps & Wrap-Up
- Confirm the date and time for the next check-in.
- Encourage ongoing entries in My Self-Care Tracker Journal.
- Remind students to bring any questions or reflections to the next session.
- Thank everyone for sharing and emphasize the value of peer support.