mental well-being

Managing Stress Effectively

There are many ways to help students manage stress highlighted in the questionnaires. Effective stress management starts with maintaining a healthy balance between rest and activity and applying strategies that reduce stress, improve coping, and build resilience. Mindfulness practices and structured routines can calm the brain’s stress response, enhancing focus and critical thinking. Relaxation activities such as drawing, art projects, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, or simply taking a quiet moment can also be beneficial. Providing emotional and academic support, creating safe and predictable environments, and fostering collaboration between teachers—such as co-planning tests—help reduce uncertainty and workload. Teaching coping skills, study techniques, and planning strategies, like breaking large assignments into smaller tasks and offering clear homework guidelines, makes demands more manageable. Finally, stress awareness activities, including short films, discussions about eustress versus distress, encourage students to reflect on stress and develop effective recovery methods.

If you want to know more:

  • Broderick, P. C. (2013). Learning to breathe: A mindfulness curriculum for adolescents to cultivate emotion regulation, attention, and performance. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
  • ICERT Publication (2025). Education as a Tool for Managing Stress: An In-Depth Review.https://icertpublication.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/260.-Education-As-A-Tool-For-Managing-Stress_-An-In-Depth-Review.pdf
  • Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow.
  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York, NY: Springer.
  • Selye, H. (1974). Stress without distress. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott.
  • Pascoe, M. C., Hetrick, S. E., & Parker, A. G. (2020). The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 104–112.

There are many ways to raise awareness of mental well-being, as highlighted in the questionnaires. It is essential to create a healthy and supportive learning environment where educators and learners understand the importance of mental well-being and work to reduce stigma. Interprofessional collaboration plays a key role in this effort, including lessons delivered with school nurses or psychologists, workshops for teachers on identifying mental distress, and guidance on when and how to refer students to health professionals. Schools can also organize theme weeks or special days to promote open dialogue and normalize conversations about mental health. Additionally, teaching promotion and prevention strategies—such as resilience-building, self-help techniques, sleep hygiene, conflict mediation, group dynamics, nutrition, and understanding the body’s response to stress—can further strengthen mental well-being among students and staff.

If you want to know more:

  • Fagerlund, Å., & Laakso, M. (2021). Flourishing students in a time of change. In Wellbeing and Resilience Education(pp. 255-275). Routledge.
  • Londen, M., Fält-Weckman, S., Fagerlund, Å., Jakobsson, P., & Hongell-Ekholm, N. (2025). I Feel Like a Superhero. Enhancing Student Well-Being and Peer Connection. In Well-Being and its Promotion in Educational Contexts: Global Perspectives and Local Challenges (pp. 217-240). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  • Murray, C., Gabriel, F., & Kennedy, J. (2024). Factors that promote student well-being in schools: a scoping review of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand literature. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-11.
  • Sandholm, D., Simonsen, J., Ström, K., & Fagerlund, Å. (2023). Teachers’ experiences with positive education. Cambridge Journal of education, 53(2), 237-255.
  • Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The journal of positive psychology, 13(4), 333-335.
  • The Mental Health Burden Affecting Europe’s Children | UNICEF European Union
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There are many ways to help students put feelings into words highlighted in the questionnaires. Expressing emotions verbally can be challenging for children, so offering alternative ways to communicate feelings greatly supports mental well-being. Visual tools such as pictures and drawings are particularly effective, allowing children to express emotions without relying solely on spoken language. These images are meant to facilitate discussion, not replace meaningful dialogue. Feelings can also be conveyed through sketches, photos, symbols like emojis, or even an emotional weather chart where sunshine represents joy and rain symbolizes sadness. Such visual approaches create a safe and creative way for children to articulate emotions. Other strategies include role plays or mindful conversations during activities like reading fairy tales, watching movies, or playing games.

If you want to know more:

  • How to Express Emotions: 12 Ways to Communicate Feelings https://positivepsychology.com/express-emotions/
  • Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
  • Laholt, H., Guillemin, M., McLeod, K., Beddari, E., & Lorem, G. (2019). How to use visual methods to promote health among adolescents: A qualitative study of school nursing. Journal of Clinical Nursing28(13-14), 2688-2695.

There are many ways to help students work with positive values such as empathy, honesty, fairness, kindness, and respect, as highlighted in the questionnaires. Schools that prioritize value-based education create a sense of safety and belonging, which is essential for well-being. Practical approaches include workshops for students and teachers focusing on these values, as well as discussions on life’s meaning through theoretical dilemmas. Activities like service-learning projects—such as community cleanups—give students a sense of purpose, while practices like gratitude journals help cultivate positive emotions and strengthen resilience.

If you want to know more:

  • Hongell-Ekholm, N., Londen, M., & Fagerlund, Å. (2024). Supporting adolescents’ personal growth and well-being through the Study with Strength intervention. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2298596.
  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification(Vol. 1). Oxford university press.
  • Vuorinen, K., Erikivi, A., & Uusitalo-Malmivaara, L. (2019). Strength-based education and whole school approach: A Finnish case. International Journal of Wellbeing, 9(1), 1–21.
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