Boy Group's Making An Impression

The anticipation of stress as a cause of stress was a common experience for the boys in Sunday’s BOY GROUP.

“We stress over our thoughts about something happening, but don’t stress when it actually happens,” one boy said.

We began our exploration of stress and stress relief by reading, the Ralph Murre poem, “What is Given,” and focused our conversation on the idea that although it’s not likely you’ll find wild strawberries, “sometimes/people find strawberries/right where they are standing/just because it is their turn/to be given a taste/of something wild and sweet.”

We wondered how we might re-wire our brains to expect sweetness instead of stress? How might we channel our stress into a moment of sweetness or calm?

The boys shared their personal stressors: tests, getting shots, video games, and arguing with siblings. Each boy had the chance to pantomime the stress and the group guessed what it was.

Following the charades, we brainstormed healthy ways to respond to stress. We took a look at the five senses and how different stress relieving strategies can ground us in different ways. Some of the boys suggested breathing exercises, while others found relief in movement or exercise. We talked about mindfulness and the different ways we can be mindful. We mixed a batch of Silly Putty and made a Stress ball.

In our closing circle, the boys talked about what they would do the next time they felt overwhelmed by stress. They all agreed that having a comforting place to go, a positive thought or a soothing item to hold would be helpful.

#boygroup #dontstress #sillyputtystressrelief