Today's students face unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety. These children have survived a pandemic, adapted to learning from home, returned to school after a year or two with a deficit in social skills, and experienced challenges in regaining academic levels. It's no wonder they're stressed out! From academic pressures to social challenges, providing students with adequate tools to manage their emotions, stress, and anxiety has never been more important.

Social emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for helping students manage emotional burdens. By integrating SEL into the classroom, educators can equip students with the skills they need to navigate stress and anxiety in a manner that is healthy and constructive.

Understanding the School Day SEL Model

The School Day SEL model offers a structured framework designed to support students' emotional wellbeing. The model is centered around five key areas:

• Self-Awareness: Helping students understand their emotions and how they influence behavior.
• Self-Management: Teaching students how to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.
• Social Awareness: Developing the ability to empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds.
• Relationship Skills: Encouraging healthy relationships based on clear communication, active listening, and cooperation.
• Responsible Decision Making: Promoting ethical, safe, and respectful choices.

By fostering these competencies, the School Day SEL model helps students build a solid emotional foundation, which is essential for managing stress and anxiety.

SEL and Stress Management

Stress is a natural part of life, but as a young person, it can be difficult to understand what stress is, why it's being experienced, or how to manage it in healthy ways. Without the skills necessary to properly manage stress, a student's academic performance and overall wellbeing can suffer.

According to Sphero, SEL provides students with tools to understand and manage their emotions, which is key to coping with stress. For example, teaching students mindfulness techniques through SEL can help them stay calm and focused during challenging situations. These techniques encourage students to pause, breathe, and reflect before reacting, reducing the likelihood of stress-induced responses. 

SEL and Anxiety

Anxiety – a feeling of persistent worry or unease – is commonplace among students. Anxiety can have a detrimental impact on students if they do not know how to manage it effectively. Students may develop physical symptoms, such as illness and nausea, restlessness, and trouble sleeping. They may find it more difficult to concentrate in class or they may have trouble remembering things. Anxiety can also cause depression or be experienced alongside depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 25% of teenagers experience anxiety disorders, and 13% experience a major depressive episode by the age of 18. Social emotional learning can teach students to recognize anxiety and empower them to manage their anxiety before it becomes a debilitating problem. Mindfulness, deep breathing, and journaling exercises can all be effective in helping students manage anxiety using SEL.

School Day is the best K-12 solution for measuring and managing student wellbeing and social emotional skills and the best means for district leaders and teachers to proactively model wellbeing in the classroom, thereby improving learning results. School Day asks students weekly questions that focus on learning, social relationships, and health. The data is analyzed, furnishing real-time insight, and highlighting what's going well; resources are provided for the areas that need more attention. Request a quote for your school today!