Session 3: Growth Mindset / Stress

Session 3: Growth Mindset / Stress 

Growth mindset is about self-respect. Respecting that we have the potential to grow, adapt, and meet challenges. It's also about Trust- trusting that we ultimately don't have the definitive answer when it comes to determining our potential and capability...trusting that there is a lot more to us and what we can do than what we think.
Navigating through stress is also about self-empathy. Allowing us the space to feel what's going on when we feel stressed, to be aware of how it affects our body, and understand what we need in the moment. It's also about trusting the process.. trusting that every experience is an opportunity to grow and learn. 

Objective   

1.  Engage students in check-in process and reinforce sense of group belonging

2.  Briefly review topic of self-concept and connect it with Growth Mindset (i.e. a healthy sense of self-concept enables us to be growth-minded). Provide examples of growth mindset versus fixed mindset. An example of fixed mindset is the expectation to have all A's - "I must get all A's this semester. I have failed if I don't get straight A's on my report card" whereas growth mindset is "I seek to grow and do well in school. And if I stumble? Stumbling is part of growth." Fixed mindset is having a fixed attitude about something based on presumption and is closed off to other perspectives. Growth mindset is about trusting that there is more to us than we presume to be true.

3.  Use examples to explain difference between healthy and unhealthy stress. We oftentimes see stress as something bad and intolerable. However, a big component of stress is survival. Stress motivates us to meet the demands of reality. The feeling of discomfort when you are hungry can be thought of as a stressor nudging you to fulfill a responsibility to your body. We can think of this type of stress as healthy. Unhealthy stress would refer to the experience of stress that is overwhelming, confusing and disorienting. However, depending on how we respond, any experience of stress can opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our needs.

4.  Explore the origin and manifestation of stress. Why are we stressed? What does stress feel like? What are some ways you know when someone else is stressed? Do you feel stressed when other people such as your parents are stressed?

5.  Explain how toxic stress can have a negative impact on the body

6.  Engage students in discussing their experience with stress and describing what stress feels like.

7.  Provide an understanding of how stress impacts our capacity to complete tasks. It can be a positive motivator but it also has the potential to inhibit our ability to perform. 

8.  Engage students in using inward REACT as way to check-in with themselves and as a mindfulness grounding exercise during stressful situations. Emphasize the importance of cognition as a way to work your way through stress and how cognition/mindfulness/dialogue/reasoning is what is truly helpful in finding a sense of balance. 

Approach

1.  Engaging all students in discussion with direct and open-ended questions

2.  Jolly rancher reward system

3.  check-in/check-out

Possible Discussion Questions

What was it like playing spoons? How did you feel when you could not keep up with the game?

Have you ever experienced this type of stress with schoolwork? Or with sports?

Have you ever felt the stress of misplacing an item (such as your keys, phone, wallet, remote control to the TV) and struggling to find it?

What does this type of stress feel like?

Where do you think your stress comes from?

What type of thoughts tend to come up when you experience stress?

What do you fear the most during these situations?

Do you think the fear overwhelms you? Why are you afraid?

Do you feel stressed because of a fear of failure?

Who are you afraid of disappointing?

Does it help when you know other people are supportive and cheering you on?

Do you usually feel that people are supportive of your efforts? Why or why not?

When you go through REACT and engage in positive self-talk, do you feel differently?

What is it like talking to us about things you are stressed about? Do you feel more confident about your ability to face your challenges?

Activities

1.  Spoons card game to demonstrate experience of stress

Supplies Needed

1.  deck of playing cards

2.  spoons

3.  Jolly Rancher candies


 



 

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