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Stress SOS

Abi

Tier 3
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Stress SOS Plan

Students will identify personal stress triggers, select effective coping strategies, and assemble a personalized Stress SOS toolkit for immediate self-care in moments of overwhelm.

This lesson empowers students to recognize their own stress sources, proactively choose coping techniques, and build a ready-to-use toolkit, fostering resilience and emotional regulation during challenging moments.

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

10 minutes

Approach

Reflective prompts and strategic selection guide personalized toolkit creation.

Materials

Coping Strategy Slides, Personal SOS Kit Template, Self-Care Effectiveness Rubric, and Paper and Pencil

Prep

Prepare Materials

3 minutes

  • Review the Coping Strategy Slides to familiarize yourself with each strategy and example.
  • Print or upload the Personal SOS Kit Template for student use.
  • Print copies of the Self-Care Effectiveness Rubric.
  • Ensure each student has paper and a pencil or access to a digital note-taking tool.

Step 1

Identify Stress Triggers

3 minutes

  • Ask the student to recall recent times they felt overwhelmed or anxious.
  • Display the first slide from the Coping Strategy Slides to prompt common stress triggers.
  • Have the student write down 2–3 personal stress triggers on their paper or digital note.

Step 2

Select Coping Strategies

3 minutes

  • Navigate through the middle slides in the Coping Strategy Slides, explaining each strategy briefly.
  • Instruct the student to choose 3 strategies that resonate most with them.
  • Prompt them to note why each strategy feels helpful beside their choices.

Step 3

Assemble Your SOS Kit

3 minutes

  • Provide the Personal SOS Kit Template.
  • Guide the student to fill in sections: listing strategies, emergency contacts or reminders, soothing items, and personal affirmations.
  • Encourage personalization with colors, doodles, or motivational words.

Step 4

Reflect and Evaluate

1 minute

  • Hand out the Self-Care Effectiveness Rubric.
  • Have the student rate their toolkit for completeness, clarity, and personal relevance.
  • Ask for one quick note on how they might improve or adjust their plan later.
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Slide Deck

Stress SOS Toolkit: Stress Triggers

• Academic pressure (tests, deadlines)
• Social stress (friends, fitting in)
• Family conflicts or changes
• Overstimulation (noise, crowds)
• Personal expectations (perfectionism)

Introduce the purpose of these slides: to help students recognize stress triggers and choose helpful strategies. Emphasize that everyone’s triggers are unique.

Coping Strategy: Deep Breathing

• Inhale slowly through your nose (count to 4)
• Hold for 2 seconds
• Exhale gently through your mouth (count to 6)
• Repeat 3–5 times

Explain deep breathing as a quick, portable way to calm the nervous system. Demo inhaling through the nose for 4 seconds, holding, exhaling for 6 seconds.

Coping Strategy: Muscle Relaxation

• Tighten a muscle group (e.g., fists) for 5 seconds
• Release and notice the relaxation for 10 seconds
• Move to next area (shoulders, legs)
• Continue until whole body feels looser

Describe progressive muscle relaxation: tensing and relaxing muscle groups to release tension. Guide the student through one example (hands and arms).

Coping Strategy: Physical Movement

• Take a short walk or jog in place
• Do 10 jumping jacks or stretches
• Dance to a favorite song
• Practice simple yoga poses (e.g., child’s pose)

Highlight how light movement helps redirect excess energy and improve mood. Suggest options that are easy indoors or outdoors.

Coping Strategy: Sensory Tools

• Squeeze a stress ball or fidget toy
• Hold a smooth stone or textured fabric
• Sip a flavored drink slowly
• Listen to calming sounds (rain, waves)

Explain sensory tools and how different textures, tastes, or sounds can ground attention. Encourage students to experiment.

Coping Strategy: Positive Self-Talk

• Use “I” statements: “I can handle this”
• Repeat an affirmation: “I am calm and capable”
• Challenge negative thoughts: “This feeling will pass”
• Write words on paper or sticky notes

Discuss the power of positive self-talk to shift mindset. Provide examples of affirmations students can personalize.

Coping Strategy: Grounding Technique

• Name 5 things you see around you
• Name 4 things you can touch
• Name 3 things you hear
• Name 2 things you smell
• Name 1 thing you taste

Teach the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method to bring focus to the present moment through senses.

Coping Strategy: Creative Expression

• Sketch or doodle how you feel
• Write a quick journal entry
• Play an instrument or hum a tune
• Create a short poem or motivational quote

Encourage creative outlets as emotional expression tools. Stress that art or writing can be private and flexible.

Coping Strategy: Support Network

• Text or call a trusted friend
• Talk with a family member or teacher
• Send a quick message: “I need a moment”
• Use a school counseling hotline if needed

Remind students that reaching out is a strong coping choice. List people they trust and simple steps to connect.

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Project Guide

Personal SOS Kit Template

1. My Top 3 Coping Strategies

  1. Strategy 1: __________


  2. Strategy 2: __________


  3. Strategy 3: __________


2. Emergency Contacts

(Who you can reach out to when feeling overwhelmed)

  1. Name & Relationship: __________


  2. Name & Relationship: __________


3. Soothing Items or Activities

(List things that help you feel calm)

  1. __________


  2. __________


  3. __________


4. Personal Affirmations

(Positive statements to remind yourself)

  1. “__________________________________”


  2. “__________________________________”


5. Decorate & Personalize!

Use this space to doodle, add colors, or write motivational words to make your SOS Kit uniquely yours.











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lenny

Rubric

Self-Care Effectiveness Rubric

Use this rubric to evaluate your Stress SOS toolkit. Circle the level that best describes your work for each criterion.

Criteria4 – Excellent3 – Good2 – Developing1 – Beginning
CompletenessAll four sections (strategies, contacts, items, affirmations) are fully and thoughtfully filled out.Three sections are complete with clear detail.Two sections are mostly complete; some details missing.Fewer than two sections are complete; many details missing.
ClarityResponses are clear, specific, and easy to understand.Responses are generally clear with minor ambiguity.Some responses are vague or unclear.Responses are confusing or hard to follow.
Personal RelevanceStrategies & contacts are highly personal and meaningful; affirmations feel authentic.Most elements reflect personal needs and preferences.Some elements feel generic or not fully relevant.Toolkit feels impersonal or unrelated to the student.
Creativity & PersonalizationTemplate is decorated/personalized with colors, doodles, or unique touches that enhance usability.Some personalization is evident (e.g., one or two doodles or colors).Minimal personalization (small decoration or note).No personalization; plain and unadorned.

Scoring Guide: Add up your points (1–4 per criterion) for a total out of 16.

Total Score: ____ / 16
Reflection: What is one thing I can do to improve my toolkit?



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lenny