To wrap up their unit on stress, Debbie Taphorn’s Relationships and Emotions class tested out various different coping methods. One of the coping strategies that the class tested out was writing all of their feelings on glass plates, then smashing them in the parking lot.

“In this unit, we focused on identifying stressors and exploring ways to manage stress,” Taphorn said. “I let groups of students brainstorm and test different coping mechanisms so that they could see which ones worked best for them.”

This activity not only helped the students discover healthy ways of coping, but it allowed them to let go of their emotions in a different way.

“I really enjoyed writing out everything that was worrying me on the plate,” senior Josselyn Olsen said. “Seeing all of my feelings written out and then smashing them on the ground was very stress relieving.”

The activity was designed to help students process their feelings.

“Writing down stressors on a plate helped students visualize them,” Taphorn said. “Then ‘letting them go’ by smashing the plate helped release stress.”