Stress+Management



Is stress good or bad? The answer is yes! Stress is part of life for people of all ages and most people do their best work at a medium level of stress. We need just enough stress to be focused and interested but not so much that we get frustrated. Gifted children are more prone to feeling overly stressed for several reasons: 1) They sometimes already feel "different" from their peers. 2) They might be emotionally sensitive and overexcited. 3) Many gifted children have perfectionism as their goal. How can students cope with stress at school? Here are a few suggestions from Education of the Gifted and Talented by Gary Davis and Sylvia Rimm. Try this:

1. Learn to manage yourself. You cannot control others but you can learn to be polite without giving up your own good ideas.

2. Engage in "self-talk." Verbally reward yourself for doing things well and excelling at certain areas.

3. Be aware of irrational beliefs. Catch yourself when you begin to think things like: I must be perfect in all things. Everyone must like me. I must not disappoint anyone. I always have to finish what I start. If I happen to behave badly, I am a bad person.

4. Ask yourself questions to gain perspective. "Is this the end of the world?"

5. Remind yourself that failures provide feedback.

6. Avoid blaming other people when things don't go well.

7. Learn to compartmentalize. When having problems in one area of life or subject in school, focus on another topic.

8. Find something that calms you, like jogging or breathing slowly.

9. Check on HALT. Are you __H__ungry, __A__ngry, __L__onely, or __T__ired?

10. Find something funny to change your thoughts.

11. Actively ignore a situation by purposefully thinking about something else.

Helpful Links: __[|Hoagies Stress Management for Gifted Children] __ __<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">﻿ __