The overstimulation, feelings of being overwhelmed, and stress that come with being a high schooler can be a lot to handle. Have you ever just wished you could go someplace… calm? Well, you’re in luck. Tucked away in the Health Office, on the 1st floor of the South building, is the Calm Corner. The Calm Corner is a dedicated, quiet space to support Jones students with their mental health.
The Calm Corner is a very comfortable and safe space where students can self-regulate their emotions, manage stress, recuperate, and de-escalate when feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated. This Calm Corner is one way to calm yourself for a better day at school, so you can show up as your best self. The Calm Corner has stress-relief fidgets, coloring books, word search puzzles, a wooden puzzle, stickers, a Buddha Board, a beanbag chair, pillows, cushions, and more. Posters on the wall include coping strategies and grounding techniques for anxiety. Just recently, we’ve also added an Affirmation Station! The Affirmation Station is a place to write an affirmation, take an affirmation, and remind yourself of your worth and capabilities.
To use the Calm Corner, ask your teacher for a pass to the Health Office and check in with the nurse at the front desk. The nurse can also refer you to speak to a social worker if you’d like additional support. Take 15 minutes to rest and engage in a coping strategy, away from noise, screens, and distractions. Afterward, you can return to class calmer, more regulated, and better able to conquer the day.
Remember to use coping skills outside of the Calm Corner as well. Many psychologists say that calming environments and strategies can help reduce stress, manage emotions and behavior, and foster a deeper understanding of one’s thoughts. We think this is absolutely true! Both teens in high school and adults with jobs can experience mental stress, and psychologists recommend using coping strategies to reduce it. Whether it’s going for a walk, sitting outside to enjoy nature, getting a drink, talking to a friend, asking for help, meditating, listening to music, or journaling, coping strategies can help reduce stress. A Calming Corner for teens can especially help teens gain a mental break when they are struggling, but there are also many other ways to manage stress and anxiety!
One coping strategy we personally love is listening to music. For this reason, we, the authors, created a collaborative playlist of our favorite songs that help us feel better. We will be putting QR codes of the playlist in the Calm Corner soon! Check it out, and hopefully it inspires you to create your own playlist. Music can be a great coping strategy to recenter, distract from overwhelming thoughts and feelings, and connect to something you enjoy. Whether it’s filled with Laufey, Drake, or Sabrina Carpenter, a playlist can be a powerful tool for self-regulation!
So, listen to music to help regulate your emotions, read meaningful affirmations, use stress fidgets, coloring books, look at visual art, or maybe even read a book! It is really important to at least try one strategy and see if it helps you. If one strategy doesn’t work, try another one!
