At-risk youth may face more challenges in a week than some encounter in a year. Many of them live with constant stress from family struggles and unstable housing to school pressures and community violence. Without healthy ways to cope, this stress can boil over into anger, anxiety, withdrawal, or risky behaviors.
If you are a caregiver, a teacher, a detention worker, a parent or anyone who works with at-risk youth, you can help them discover tools, habits, and strategies to give them relief when they are stressed and build resilience for the long term.
1. Use Quick calming techniques:
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Breathing Breaks: Try 4-7-8 breathing ---Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8. It is a reset button for the nervous system.
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Muscle Relaxation: Guide them to tense and release each muscle group, starting at their toes and moving up.
- Grounding with senses: Ask youth to name 5 things they see, 4 they feel, 3 they hear, 2 they smell, and 1 they taste.
These techniques work best when practiced regularly not just during a crisis. Use them daily.
2. Move Stress Out: Stress often lives in the body, and movement can help.
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Mini Movement Breaks: Two minutes of jumping jacks, stretches or any physical activity.
- Walk and Talk: Movement plus conversation helps emotions flow more easily.
3. Notice Positive Events: It is contrary to our nature, but even in awful times, take note of the good things that happened in your life. Re-experience them and talk about them.
4. Practice Gratitude: Be grateful. Talk about things in their life that they are grateful for.
5. Build Connection and Belonging: Isolation magnifies stress. Relationships protect it.
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Check-In: Start with a simple question- tell me about something that caused you to feel good today and something the caused you to feel low.
- Staff Presence-Sometimes the biggest stressbuster is simply a trusted adult nearby, showing they care.
6. Help them Reframe the story: Stress often comes from feeling powerless. Help them see their own strength.
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Ask: “When was a time you got through something hard?” and highlight their coping skills.
- Encourage youth to focus on what is in their control – even small actions count.
7. Practice Self Compassion: Don’t beat yourself up for feeling stressed. Everyone struggles at some point. It is ok.
8. Acknowledge Personal Strengths: Take stock and celebrate your good attributes and skills.
Why Stressbusters Matter
At-risk youth often can’t control many stress triggers in their environment- but they can learn skills to handle those triggers in healthy ways.
Sharing these Stress Busters helps reduce
today’s stress and build tomorrow’s Resilience
Looking for curriculum to help control anger or improve feelings of self-worth you may wish to view the following ARISE Life Skills curriculum for teens:
ARISE Work In Progress- Anger Management