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Changing the Stress Mindset from “Uh Oh!” to

“Oh, Ok!”

By: LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed. Educator, Author & School Improvement Coach

AMLE 2021 Webinar Series – Successful Middle Schools

leann@maximizelearninginc.com www.maximizelearninginc.com

Twitter - @lnickelsen1

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LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed. brings powerful, evidence-based tools and strategies that boost student achievement with lasting results. LeAnn is an expert in: Closing Gaps in Struggling Students such as

those with high poverty, in special education or those with cognitive challenges

Differentiating Instruction & Growing Literacy to meet every student’s needs in all content areas

Follow-up Coaching for Collective Efficacy from relationship-building to lesson-planning; feedback, learning walks, and goal-getting

BACKGROUND: She’s a former teacher of the year, a Jensen-certified, brain-research trainer for over 20 years and has authored over 14 practical books including her 2019 release: Teaching with the Instructional Cha Chas: 4 Steps to Make Learning Stick and Deeper Learning: 7 Powerful Strategies for In-Depth and Longer-Lasting Learning (co-authored with Eric Jensen). Her unique, customized options will ensure the new learning gets implemented because of extraordinary follow-up coaching skills. She’s worked with over 500 schools in 49 states and gets rave reviews from both teachers and leadership alike. APPROACH: LeAnn Nickelsen gives you the “whole package” as a trainer. She always listens first, then works to customize and personalize your event based on exactly what you and your staff/students need. She role models every skill for your staff to show HOW it’s done. She shares real stories and examples from schools to drive strong, get-to-grade-level achievement. This means you get a passionate, engaging and highly practical training that your staff can implement immediately to raise student learning.

THE BUZZ: Read what her raving fans said about her recent work: “LeAnn has been an amazing support for Westlawn Elementary over the last two years. She immediately understood our struggle and instantly began working on ways to transform our campus. She contributed tremendously in changing our campus culture to having a growth mindset, and most importantly, helping us believe we as a campus could be successful. She continues to help motivate and focus our campus. We believe the possibilities are endless! LeAnn’s ability to communicate with teachers and assess the

educational and emotional needs of a student is outstanding.” Nichole S. & Kiandra W., Texarkana, TX

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Self-Care Toolkit Ideas for Resiliency To Build Your Resiliency Toolkit

� Take targeted App Breaks: Breathe; Calm; Zones of Regulation; Stop, Breathe and Think; etc.

� Canine Assisted Therapy – Is there a dog in the community that is trained and ready to visit your school? Certain students?

� Take time each day to take a break (see: https://success.oregonstate.edu/sites/success.oregonstate.edu/files/LearningCorner/Tools/50_ways_to_take_a_break.pdf) (bath, engage in a hobby, read a fiction book, deep breathing)

� Plan for healthy basics every day to be proactive: sleep, eat, breathe, and drink lots of water. Think about each one of these basics and which ones are you doing well? We need about 7-8 hours of sleep each night as adults to function optimally the next day. High sugar foods can exacerbate the stress response.

� Express emotions every day with someone or through an on-going journal � Plan for laughter � Take time to engage in a pet � Exercise is possibly one of the top resilience tools � Turn some music on and dance or relax and reflect � Turn off all electronics for a period of time � Every day, several times during the day, write or say something that you are

grateful for � Connect with at least one a person each day � Get into nature – go outside and see the beauty around you (you may have to

find it) � Find a way to give to others (charity, volunteer, serve, help, be there for

someone) � Take time for mindfulness or meditation � Ask yourself: Will this matter one week from now? If no, change your

perception of the stressor. � Take time to expressively write about how you are feeling (or draw about it). � Take time to engage in your passion!

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� Train your brain to stop obsessing over the stressor: Change your thoughts (stomp on the ANTs – Automatic Negative Thoughts)

� Sit down and create To Do lists, routines, checklists, etc. to help you feel more in control of life and time.

� Breath: 4-7-8 (4 second inhale, hold breath for 7 second, and breathe out for 8 seconds)

� Yoga � Take time to do mundane actions like color, peel potatoes, take a long shower,

pull weeds, dust, etc. Sometimes stressed brains need a break, and these “mindless” breaks can elicit high creativity.

� Eat dark chocolate – so many calming properties � Plan for fun = place in your schedule! Games can take your mind off the

stressors. � Faith in something bigger than yourself; community of belonging based on

what you have in common with others � The 2-Hour Check-In – set a reminder on your phone to help you check-in with

your own feelings every 2 hours. How are you feeling? Are your muscles tensed? What is your mind doing? What is your focus right now? Which tool can you use to create a calm? This 2-Hour Check-In increases self-awareness which is the first step to change. What we focus on, grows!

� Change the Channel – we can change the “channels” of our states of mind by changing our thinking, environments, small habits, people we are around, etc. Just like we can change the TV station with a remote control, we can also change our “channels” of our minds to be more positive. We have control over our thoughts and actions (usually).

� Create images, mantras, affirmations, or inspirational quotes of what you want to focus on – place it in front of you all day long.

� Plan for celebrations – LOTS!!!! � Other: __________________________ � Other: __________________________

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_____________________’s Resiliency Toolkit

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TELL: A Reflection Tool Name: ___________________________________

Explanation Your Response

Thankful for… *Describe all of the things that you were thankful for during the lesson or throughout the day. *Who was helpful? *Was there a good book involved? *Did an author touch you somehow? *Did another students or teacher give your feedback? *Did you learn an amazing fact today?

Evaluate… *How well do you understand the information? *How well did you do on ________________? *What questions do you still have? *What do you need more help with?

Learned… *What did you learn? *Did you learn a new social skill? *New words? *New connections? *Any aha moments? *List facts or list sequence of skill learned.

List your plan of action now… *New goals based on the day? *Any apologies need to be made? *How can you deal with that student or teacher differently tomorrow? *What further learning do you want to explore now?

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BY: LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed.

AMLE 2021 Webinar Series: Creating Successful Middle Schoolwww.maximizelearninginc.com

leann@maximizelearninginc.com

Twitter: @LNickelsen1

Changing The Stress

From

“UH OH!” to “OH, OK!”

Culture and Community Section – pages 11-25❑ Educators respect and value young adolescents

❑ The school environment is welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for

all

❑ Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by

an adult advocate

❑ School safety is addressed proactively, justly and thoughtfully

❑ Comprehensive counseling and support services meet the needs

of young adolescents

❑ The school engages families as valued partners

❑ The school collaborates with community and business partners

The Successful Middle School

Webinar Series

Tweet

@LNickelsen1

@AMLE

*Best Tweet (connection) = free book

2020

3/2/2021

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3/2/2021

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1) What is “stress” and how

does it affect our brain,

health, learning and life?

2) What are the most powerful

research-based strategies to

handle life stressors?

3) How can your Resiliency

Toolbox help your students

create their own toolbox?

W I I F M ? Learning Target Questions

GO! Moments

G = Gratitude

What are you grateful

for today?

O = Optimism

What are you

looking forward to?

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Make It a Daily Routine

Take time to destress with a constructive routine that prepares the brain for positivity. Student Driven.

What ideas can you use to “destress” and reframe the brain before the Learning Episode?

• Thorns, Buds, and Roses

• Deep Breathing

• Joke of the Day

• Meme of the Day

• YouTube of the Day

• Quote of the Day

• Caption This

Routines Can:• Improve productivity• Maximize attention and

minimize distraction• Minimize uncertainty• Make space for better

thinking (less cognitive load)

• Reduce draining of energy

Types of StressType of Stress Definition Image to Remember

Healthy Stress - Eustress

Eustress is a manageable level of life stress that fosters a

healthy biological resilience to stress damage.

Aschbacher, K., O'Donovan, A., Wolkowitz, O. M., Dhabhar, F. S., Su, Y., & Epel, E. (2013). Good stress, bad stress and oxidative stress: insights from anticipatory cortisol

reactivity. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(9), 1698–1708.

Distress or Chronic Stress

(Long-term stress)

Chronic Stress is toxic to our brain and body. We experience this when we have one

stressful event (smaller, short-term stressors = acute) after another and don’t have time/energy to recover.

Trauma Deeply distressing or disturbing experience or situation which overwhelms people’s ability

to cope, leaving them powerless. (Center for Non-Violence & Social Justice)

APA – direct or perceived threat rendering a

child feeling overwhelmed and fearful of their safety.

Stress is the physiological response to a perception of a lack of control over an adverse situation or person

Cala

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(2007)

Bio

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Stimulus Recovery

Physio

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esponse

HomeostasisHealthy Brain Response to an Everyday Stressor

Cortisol activations

McE

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. S., &

Win

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. C. (2

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Chronic Or Acute Stressors Force The Brain To

Adapt; This Is “Allostasis”

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Sterling P. (2004). Principles of Allostasis: Optimal Design, Predictive Regulation, Pathophysiology, and Rational

Therapeutics. In: Schulkin J, editor. Allostasis, homeostasis and the costs of physiological adaptation. New York:

Cambridge University Press. pp. 17–64. and Sterling P. (2012). Allostasis: a model of predictive

regulation. Physiology & Behavior. 106,5–15.

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Allostasis Is Your Brain’s Adjusted New

“Set Point” For Survival

Allostasis: “Adjusted Stability”Over or Under-reactive Stress Response

OR

Physio

logic

al R

esponse

Inadequate Response =Hypo Responsiveness

Stimulus No Recovery Stimulus No Recovery Needed

Physio

logic

al R

esponse

Prolonged, Intense Response = Hyper Vigilance

McEw

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. S., &

Win

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. (2009). W

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. Addic

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Intro

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The Impact Of Allostasis On Your Students Predicts An Over Or Under-reactive Stress Response

OR

Physio

logic

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Stimulus No Recovery Stimulus No Recovery

Needed

Physio

logic

al R

esponse

“Discipline” Problem?

McE

wen, B

. S., &

Wingfield, J. C

. (2009). What is in a nam

e? Integrating homeostasis, allostasis and stress.

Horm

ones and behavior,57(2),

105–111. and Koob G

F, Le M

oal M. A

ddiction and the brain antireward system

.A

nnual Review

of Psychology.

2008;59:29–53 and Peters A

, M

cEw

en BS

.(2012) Introduction for the allostatic load special issue.Physiology &

Behavior.106, 1–4.

“Motivation”

Problem?

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Trauma/Chronic Stress Could Look Like:

• Hyper Vigilance (anger/aggression, hyperactive, poor self-regulation skills)

• Hypo Responsiveness (apathy, learned helplessness, withdrawn)

• Weaker immune systems (sick more often)

• Poor motor skills

• Learning challenges

• Weak memory

• Social Isolation

• Lack of trust

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Chronic Stress Effects. Did You Know…

1. Chronic stress affects motivation. (Morgado P and Cerqueira JJ (2018)

Editorial: The Impact of Stress on Cognition and Motivation. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 12:326. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00326)

2. Being in close contact with stressed people increases your stress levels. (Bains, 2018)

3. Stress impairs self control. (Maier, et al, 2015)

4. Stress impairs memory. (Yuen et al, 2012)

5. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that processes memory) is smaller in those with chronic stress. (Kim, et al, 2015)

6. Dwelling on stressful events increases inflammation in the body. (Zoccola, et al, 2013)

7. The amygdala part of the brain that modulates the fear response, is highly activated during times of stress. (Ressler KJ. Amygdala activity, fear, and anxiety: modulation by stress. Biol Psychiatry. 2010;67(12):1117–1119. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.04.027)

Prefrontal Cortex Thinning with Stress;

Prefrontal Cortex Healing with

Cognitive Therapy

Savic I, Perski A, Osika W. MRI Shows that Exhaustion Syndrome Due to Chronic Occupational Stress is Associated with Partially Reversible Cerebral Changes. Cereb Cortex. 2018;28(3):894-906. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhw413

MRI Shows that Exhaustion Syndrome Due to Chronic

Occupational Stress is Associated with Partially

Reversible Cerebral Changes

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris – TED Talk

“Just as the science shows up it’s the cumulative adversity that puts kids at greatest risk of negative health and behavior outcomes, similarly, cumulative doses of ‘buffering’ (nurturing, buffering care) literally do the opposite. This buffering helps to release healthy hormones to calm down the biological stress response and, in fact, interrupt the stress response.” (Educational Leadership Interview, October 2020, p. 12)

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Resilience is Learned!

This book shares research and strategies on how to change your attitude and self-talk towards challenges so that we can take action toward progress.

1. Perception is your attitude towards the problem.

2. Taking Action is breaking problems down and turning them into opportunities. Focus on what you can control.

3. Your Will is cultivating perseverance that can help you overcome difficulty.

The BIG _____

1) Mindset

2) Relationship Building

3) Model!

1. Change Your Mindset: What Does This Mean?

Stress is always generated within

you.. It’s never “out there” (ever)!

Strengthen coping skills and foster a sense

of control at work every day or there’s little

chance of success.

“Is this is the

most important

message of the

program?”

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This is the Critical Factor

The perception of your actionable control over a

stressor is the most potent variablemodulating its

impact. Maier SF & Watkins LR (2010). Role of the medial prefrontal cortex in coping and resilience. Brain Res. 1355, 52-60.

• Stress decreases when we choose our response

(Toolbox)

• Daily Healthy Habits help us to be proactive

• Monitor and change thoughts. Be prepared to get

rid of ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)

• Cultivate the Challenge Response Mindset with

stressors

Perception: Increase Sense of Control

Research: Those who led low-stress lives

and those who led high-stress lives (but didn’t

think the stress was bad for them) had almost

identical mortality rates.

Those in the third category (high stress with

belief that it’s harmful), had a 43% higher risk

of dying.

Conclusion: Attitudes and belief systems

about the stress appear to be more significant

than the actual stressors themselves. By

changing your thoughts about stress, you can

change your body’s response to this stress.

Good News About Stress

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Stress Can Be Your Friend

Dr. Kelly McGonigal1. When you change your mindset to the stress

response you can change how your body

responds: This is my pounding heart preparing

me for a challenge. View it as helpful to YOU!

2. Blood vessels stayed relaxed and looked like

they were experiencing moments of joy or

courage.

3. Oxytocin – stress hormone. Pituitary gland

pumps it! Stress makes you social. It primes

brain to want to be social and seek support.

Natural anti-inflammatory. Heals heart cells

from any damage by stressors.

“threat response”OR

“challenge response”

Writing Prompts to Determine Where your

Mindset Might Be (Teacher & Students)

1. Do I believe that I have any control over this situation right now?

2. What is my current belief, attitude, or mood about this situation right now?

3. What might be driving this belief, attitude, or mood?

4. Does it need to be changed and if so, why?

5. What mindset would you rather have and why? What mantra can you create to help you get there (positive statements)? What actions could you take part in to change it?

6. What might you need to learn about so that you can change your mindset faster? Who might be able to help you? Do you need to design a plan?

“Cooperation is directly related to the

connection we feel with each other.

Strengthen the bond and increase the

cooperative spirit.”

Dr. Becky Bailey

2. Build Positive Relationships

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Of all the things researchers

have discovered about the

value of quality relationships,

one of the most surprising is

that they are strong

mediators of stress.

Good relationships diffuse

stress and make your life

easier.

Relationships Can Lower Stress;

How Well Do You Connect?

Miller-Lewis LR, Sawyer AC, Searle AK, Mittinty MN, Sawyer MG, Lynch JW. (2014) Student-teacher relationship trajectories and mental health problems in young children. BMC Psychol. 12, 27.

3 Layers Of Relationship Building

1. Connecting: Recognize students and know the name well. Know their interests, passions, family members, strengths, etc.

2. Investing: Going deeper with questions that connect with their emotions and feelings (passions, fears, stressors, beliefs). We value and respect them sowe invest our time, energy, and empathy. We value their voices. Trust

3. Empowering: Partnering with students to take on challenges, take risks, and solve problems. Co-creating student agency so students have the intrinsic motivation to take learning to a whole different level. High Trust & Safety

1-Connecting

2- Investing

3- Empowering

LeAnn Nickelsen

Student Agency = Extreme Intrinsic Motivation =

Success

Student Agency is when students self-initiate and persevere in their own learning through partnership with others and empowerment. To do this, they co-design goals, tasks/methods, and criteria for success for resolving challenges and accomplishing identified learning goals.

Critical to these processes are self-reflection and feedback from peers and teachers, all helping students monitor their own progress and guiding the next steps in learning (Nickelsen & Wormeli, 2020).

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Layer 1:

Connecting With Students - Question Stems

• Who are your family members? Pets?

• What are your interests, strengths, book, hobbies, favorites, sports,

TV shows, Apps, best/worst subjects in school, song, friends,

strengths, etc.?

• What is your happiest childhood memory?

• If you could be a superhero, what super powers would you choose

and why?

• If you had an unexpected day off, what would you like to do?

• What are your favorite holidays that you celebrate?

• Would you prefer to __________ or ___________? Would you

rather...? Why? EX: Would you prefer to live in Alaska or Florida? Would you rather battle a lion or polar bear?

• What characteristics describe a teacher that you have learned well

from in the past? Explain.Thank you to: Eric Jensen, Shauna King and Bryan Harris – contributions to this list

Layer 2:

Investing In Students - Question Stems

• What do you think your friends and family see as your best quality? Why?

• Describe a time that was difficult for you. How did you deal with it?

• What would you not want to change about your life? What would you want to change about your life? Why?

• What makes you angry? When you’re angry, how do you respond? (Do this with each major emotion: sad, happy, joyful, depressed, etc.)

• Other:

Layer 3:

Empowering Students - Questions Stems• What is a mistake that you recently made in the classroom? How did

your teacher, friends, and you respond?• What are you learning well? Struggling with? What is your plan to

close that gap?• What is one goal that you have for yourself and why? How will you

celebrate yourself when you achieve this goal? What is your Plan B if you didn’t reach this goal?

• What project of interest do you want to design to help you unwrap your question?

• What learning experience can we design together to address your beliefs and passions?

• What challenge are you confronting right now? How can we use our problem-solving steps to create a plan of action to address it?

• What problems do you see in our school/classroom that we can solve? How might you go about solving these problems?

• Is there unconscious bias within our school and how can we go about discussing it? Use: Alena Aguilar’s book: Coaching for Equity

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AM

Ways to Connect Remotely

• Texting

• Phone Calls

• Emails

• Postcards

• Facebook Private Group

• SnapChat

• Instagram

• Google HandOuts

• Electronic Platforms: Seesaw, Canvas, Zoom, Google Meet,

Flipgrid, Schoology

3 Layers Of Relationship Building

1. Connecting: Recognize students and know the name well. Know their interests, passions, family members, strengths, etc.

2. Investing: Going deeper with questions that connect with their emotions and feelings (passions, fears, stressors beliefs). We value and respect them sowe invest our time, energy, and empathy. We value their voices. Trust

3. Empowering: Partnering with students to take on challenges, take risks, and solve problems. Co-creating student agency so students have the intrinsic motivation to take learning to a whole different level. High Trust & Safety

1-Connecting

2- Investing

3- Empowering

LeAnn Nickelsen

https://maximizelearninginc.com/home/blog-list-articles-by-leann/ - Rich Relationship Building with 2

Easy Layers: Yes, Even Virtually

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Oberle & Schonert-Reichl, 2016 Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students

Is Stress Contagious?

True or False

1. T or F - Student’s amygdala is scanning your cues, your emotions, and your

responses all day long (Leui, Cui, Chiu, 2018).

2. T or F - We all have “mirror neurons” that sync up with others’ emotional states.

These neurons could cause state of minds to be: stressed, excited or calm (Kilner

& Lemon, 2013).

3. T or F - That means that YOUR psychological health can be “read” by those

around you (good or bad) (Kilner & Lemon, 2013).

4. T or F - Teachers with higher stress levels tend to have classrooms with more

behavior problems as well as worse academic outcomes (La Paro & Pianta,

2003)(McLean & Connor, 2015).

5. T or F – Stress is contagious.

Compassion Fatigue = Secondary Traumatic

Stress (STS)

• Defined: natural consequent behaviors and emotions

resulting from knowledge of a traumatizing event

experienced by another and from wanting to help a

suffering or traumatized person (Beaton & Murphy, 1995).

• Compassion fatigue is the weariness that comes from

caring (gift and curse of extreme empathy).

• We tire; we lose optimism, humor and hope. We are not

ourselves. We didn’t create boundaries.

• Symptoms: sleep issues, relationship challenges,

frequent irritability and moodiness, feeling overwhelmed,

depression (Hertel & Johnson, 2020).

• Keep caring! But be careful with over-caring when we

don’t take care of ourselves.

Start creating a series of small,

critical habits that reassure you that

you matter. For example, thoughtfully

design daily routines that enrich you.

EXAMPLES:1. Make your bed 1st thing

2. Give an affirmation, a kiss, or a hug

3. Do short workout routines daily (12’)

4. Add one new healthier food/mo.

5. Subtract one unhealthy food/mo.

6. When your feet hit floor in morning, say: “It’s going to

be a great day!”RE

SIL

IEN

CE

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3. Model: Manage Your Stress Better

• Expressive Writing

• Write it Down for Later

• 1 Week Rule

• Redirect Your Attention

• Burn off Energy (play/exercise)

• Reframe the Experience

• Let it Go / Meditation / Hug

• Talk it Over with a Friend

Pages 3-4

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

LeAnn’s Resiliency Toolbox

Zebras don’t get ulcers because once

the lion is gone, they immediately go

back to their normal lives without even

thinking about the lion.

Source: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers

By: Robert Sapolsky

1. The Zebra

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• Find your passion!

• When wrapped up into something that is easy and

enjoyable, your inner dialogue switches off (Daniel

Goleman)

• Take time to enjoy life EVERY day!

• Take time to laugh EVERY day.

2. Find Your Passion

• Anything you commit to paper gets “off-loaded” from your working memory and frees it up to think about other items.

• For six months following an experiment with college students, those who wrote about traumatic events visited the campus health center less often, and used a pain reliever less frequently, than those who wrote about inconsequential matters.

3. Write About It

(Harvard Medical School: Pennebaker, 2011)

• Reflective Writing = Valuable, relaxed

time spent to deeply think about an

important experience (design some

questions/prompts) to extrapolate

meaning from this experience, to

organize the thinking about it, and to

ultimately determine what went well,

what could improve, and how to move

forward.

Expressive Writing

• Students can also complete Dr. Pennebaker’s Universal Writing Assignment for Self-Reflection:

• “Over the next four days, write about your deepest emotions and thoughts about the emotional upheaval that has been influencing your life the most. In your writing, really let go and explore the event and how it has affected you. You might tie this experience to your childhood, your relationship with your parents, people you have loved or love now… Write continuously for 20 minutes.”

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• Give students a few questions at

a time to reflect on. Let them

choose one prompt.

• Students can upload short,

verbal reflection videos and

share with teachers, other

students, family (choice), etc.

Reflecting on Life

https://www.edutopia.org/sites/default/files/resources/edutopia-stw-replicatingpbl-21stcacad-reflection-questions.pdf

4. Change Your Mindset/Thoughts

Website:

www.maximizelearninginc.com

(Resources; free resources for

educators)

Enjoy!

FREEBIE

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Is the stressor really a 10? What is a 10? A 10 is defined differently

throughout life’s phases.

5. Is It a 10?

Visualize yourself using successful strategies or feeling calm amidst

the stressful situation.

Then, Breathe 4-7-8

6. Visualize & Breathe

1. I will spend quality time

getting to know my teacher better since she cares about me. I’ll try to be more open about my stress when I get time with her.

2. I will use the special 4-7-8

Breathing Technique to calm down when I get upset (3 times in a row).

3. I will visit the classroom Chill

Zone (behind the bookshelves) when I’m about to get angry or aggressive.

4. I will reframe my thinking when experience something negative. I’ll view a situation as a challenge versus a problem.

5. I will focus on helping and

serving others around me (my grandma, my neighbor, my mom, volunteer at Boys and Girls Club).

6. I will “change the channel”

when I get angry. I’ll remember that I can control my actions. I’ll change the channel to gratitude when I’m really mad at someone.

Student Resiliency Toolbox

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• Definition: Paying close attention to the

present moment.

• Ex: taking in a beautiful scene, noting

someone’s body language, closing eyes

and listening to 5 minutes of calming music

or nature sounds, visualizing self as calm,

aware of your current emotion, moments of

thankfulness, etc.

7. Mindfulness

APPS:

• Calm• Happify• Stop, Breathe

and Think• Headspace• Mindful.org• Joyable• Mindfulness-

app.com• Omvana

• Song: Weightless (Marconi Union)

• https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/neuroscience-says-listening-to-this-one-song-reduces-anxiety-by-up-to-65-percent.html

8. Music

Neuroscience Says Listening to This

Song Reduces Anxiety by Up to 65 Percent

1. Slow Jazz – 60 beats per minute

2. Choir music

3. Classical (Mozart Symphonies, Beethoven, Wager, J.S. Bach, etc.)

4. Spotify: Brain Food music (concentration for studying)

5. Calm Piano music (Youtube.com)

**Unique to each person. Try a variety out and determine best one.

Other Genres of Music to Calm

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• Sleeps helps our body recover from the day and repair itself; helps

us focus and be more productive

• Sleep deprivation hits the hippocampus harder than the amygdala.

Results: sleep deprived people fail to recall pleasant memories yet

recall gloomy memories well.

• Lavender can make you sleep more soundly and help you feel more

energetic the next morning.

• Calcium/Magnesium (2:1 ratio) – natural muscle relaxer helps you

sleep better

• Cherries – natural melatonin

9. Get Enough Sleep

April 2017

Regular exercise is one of the best stress busters!

• Exercise dramatically improves the immune function.

• Exercise helps you respond to stress in more positive manners because of the right mix of neurotransmitters in your system.

• The effect of exercise can last up to 3 days!

• (McEwen, 2002) Japan study – asked several participants to jog for 30 minutes three days a week. At the end of 12 weeks, joggers scored 30% higher than the sedentary group on tests of working memory (the ability to hold information transiently in the mind). Less physical activity exacerbates the stress response.

10. Solutions for Stress

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22

Pere

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Notice the explosion of new neurons in the hippocampus, noted in redsand yellows, after exercise.

Non-Exerciser’s Brain

11. Train Your Thoughts –

Be Positive

3:1

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Until you have your thoughts and

attitudes under control, no amount

of knowledge, skill or medication

can help you to truly detox your

ANTs. You will need courage,

perseverance, and strategies to

confront and control your thoughts.

ANTs = Automatic Negative

ThoughtsDr. Daniel Amen (Making a Good Brain Great)

“Whenever I think (negative

thought):

______________________,

I will stop and think (positive

thought):

______________________.”

Example: “Whenever I think that nobody

likes me, I will stop and think how much

my parents love me by reflecting on the

games that we play together.”

Student Statements that

Suggest Paralyzing Mindsets❑ I don’t think I’m good enough to succeed.

❑ I’ll never be as smart as her (or him).

❑ I’ve never done well at standardized tests.

❑ I can’t control how smart I am.

❑ I don’t belong at this school.

❑ It doesn’t matter how much I study.

❑ My mom said she wasn’t good at math either.

❑ No one seems to really care about me.

❑ When are we ever going to use this stuff in real

life?

❑ Just tell me what’s going to be on the test.

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1. Be Interested and Ask Questions: “Tell me more about that…”

2. Show Empathy and Sympathy: “I used to think that, too,” or “I understand how you could conclude that…” “That happened to me once…”

3. Make a Suggestion (Pull or Nudge Moments): • Change the question so that the answer is correct• That’s the answer for the question I’m about to ask• When student claims he doesn’t know, ask, “If you DID know, what would

you say?”• Can I offer a suggestion?• I wonder if you could try_____ or _____?

Coaching Through Paralyzing Mindsets

Pull or Nudge Your Teammates

Pull Statements

Let’s all try…

I think we should… and I will get started by…

Should we place this strategy in the goal…

What if we tried…

Can you imagine if…

Nudge Statement

I wonder if…

Have you read…

Did you see…

Want to know more…

• https://edtechbooks.org/wellbeing/

children_school – Every

Measurement for a Child’s

Wellbeing at School

Children’s Hope Scale

RAND. (2018). Children's Hope Scale (CHS). https://edtechbooks.org/-ftfM.Snyder, C. R., Hoza, B., Pelham, W. E., Rapoff, M., Ware, L., Danovsky, M., Highberger, L., Ribinstein H., & Stahl, K. J. , (1997)The development and validation of the Children’s Hope Scale, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22(3), 399–42

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Waypower

(Pathways)

Willpower

(Agency)

Desirable

Goal

HOPE

12. Decrease your Control with Students

• Give choices (less stress when a feeling of control is present)

• Encourage voice (decisions; solutions to problems; what do you think?)

• Provide leadership opportunities (responsibilities, opportunities, etc.)

• Self-Reflection every day!

(Varg

as L

ascano, D

ayum

aI.

; G

ala

mbos, N

ancy L

.; K

rahn, H

arv

ey J

.; L

achm

an,

Marg

ie E

(2015).

• 48,185 students in Grades 6-12• 12,157 students in Grades 3-5• 249 schools across 14 states

Research Found:

• 56% of students feel like they don’t have a voice in decision

making at school.

• 54% of students believe their teachers DO NOT care if they are

absent from school.

• When students have a voice, they become 7X more academically

motivated.

Quaglia Student Voice Survey2015-2016 (www.quagliainstitute.org) – 30 years of research

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• Gratitude is a chosen attitude (Dr. Emmons – UC David

Scientist, author of Thanks!)

• Emmons says that we must be willing to recognize and

acknowledge our blessings.

• The more grateful we are, we should see more joy and less

stress.

• Emmons found that those who kept a consistent gratitude journal

were actually able to raise their level of happiness over time.

• Students who were in better moods received better grades and

scored higher on achievement tests.

13. Attitude of Gratitude

Just a Few of the Benefits:

• Decreases cortisol• Strengthens connections and relationships• Can lower blood pressure• Can improve sleep quality• Can strengthen immune system• Increases life satisfaction

Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, professor of medicine at Emory University, 2016

Gratitude Routines

Pages 6-7

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• Appreciate

• Apology

• Aha!

Closing Time Routine

Edutopia VideoRedwood City, CA

High School

The 3 Things…

Jimmy V

You’re not living if you have not done

the following each day:

1. Cry for or with others

2. Laugh hysterically

3. Think deeply

14. Eat Healthy

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“When we don’t consume the right mix of brain-boosting

nutrients, our brain cells (all 100 billion of them) don’t

function optimally and can even die. The results show up

as a memory loss, reduced ability to think clearly and

quickly, poor concentration, acceleration of the age-related

changes in the brain tissue, reduced ability to learn and

reason, leading to a lowered IQ, and a

dwindling desire to learn.”

Jean Carper – Your Miracle Brain

FOODS Broken Down into Nutrients Create Neurotransmitters Affect the Following:

Digested Such As: Such as: memory

fatty acids serotonin sleep

sugars acetylcholine stress

amino acids dopamine moods

vitamins norepinephrine learning

minerals endorphins disease/sickness

antioxidants glutamate age

energy

These affect which foods you consume.

Blo

od

-Bra

in-B

arr

ier

Nutrient Neurotransmitter State Cycle

How Foods Affect Behavior

STRESSED

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• Yogurt• Colorful berries• Avocados• Bananas• GreenTea• Swiss chard• Spinach, kale, etc.• Broccoli, Brussels

sprouts• Whole wheat

pretzels

Food Choices Will Support The

“Bounce Back” of Resilience

• Turkey

• Salmon

• Curcumin

• Nuts - almonds

• Carrots & celery

• Milk

• Pumpkin Seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds

When really stressed, go color and only think about the coloring!

Other Activities:Peeling potatoesMowing the grassPulling weedsDustingPlaying a game

15. Just Color!

• In a 2013 study (Rettner; LiveScience), people who surfed the web or sent a text

message within two hours of going to bed reported higher levels of stress than those

who didn't engage in these behaviors. Technology before bed disrupted sleep too.

• Electronics replaced opportunities to develop mental strength; people escape many life

problems by just getting on their social media. The research participants didn’t gain the

coping skills they needed to handle everyday challenges. (The Henry J. Kaiser Family

Foundation: Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds (2010)

16. Unplug

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• Serotonin increases

• Reduces pain and illnesses

• Speeds recovery time

• Scent of grass can calm

• Fresh air is 75% less polluted than indoor air

• Improves working memory

17. Get Outside in Nature!

It’s virtually impossible to stay

stressed when you’re tickling

your dog’s belly or iguana’s tail.

18. Get a Pet

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19. DRINK!

• Water!!!!

• Within 5 minutes of consuming water, there is a marked decline in corticoids and ACTH (stress hormone).

• 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory and focus problems.

• Spending money on

others boosted

happiness (events &

activities rather than

things)

• 100 hours a year is

the magic number (2

hours a week)

20. Give

Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage, 2010

21. Eat Dark Chocolate!

It Increases Serotonin

And Endorphin Levels

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• Yes, schedule fun! Play board games!

• Plan Free time

• Something about “A Rest” each week

22. Put FUN on the List

• Visualize your life the way you want it to

look. Visualize it often.

• How can you change your view of the

stress response?

• What is keeping you from reaching that

way of life?

• What can you cut out?

• How can you use your time

better so that you have time

to do those special things?

• What strategy did you place in

your toolbox?

23. Create a Plan!

Website:

www.maximizelearninginc.com

(Resources; free resources for

educators)

Enjoy!

FREEBIE

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33

1) What is “stress” and how

does it affect our brain,

health, learning and life?

2) What are the most powerful

research-based strategies to

handle life stressors?

3) How can your Resiliency

Toolbox help your students

create their own toolbox?

W I I F M ? Learning Target Questions

• Email Stephanie Simpson if interested: ssimpson@amle.org

• I have virtual and in-person workshops about: trauma and the

brain, poverty, preventing and closing gaps, differentiation,

literacy in all classrooms

• Email with questions: leann@maximizelearninginc.com

• Visit my website: www.maximizelearninginc.com

Bring Me to Your School

Virtually or In-Person

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34

• It takes 37 muscles to frown and 22 muscles to smile. Smiling conserves energy!

• If you force a smile, you will eventually feel like smiling automatically. You can actually change your feelings!

• Average child laughs 400 times a day; average adult laughs 15 times a day!

SMILE!