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Lesson 4 of 4
  • Year 8

Calming and relaxation techniques

I can evaluate different calming and relaxation techniques to know which ones will work for me.

Lesson 4 of 4
New
New
  • Year 8

Calming and relaxation techniques

I can evaluate different calming and relaxation techniques to know which ones will work for me.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Most of us will get stressed about things at some point in our lives.
  2. Getting stressed too often or for a prolonged period of time can have a negative effect on our wellbeing.
  3. Feeling stressed can impact our emotional health, physical health and our behaviour.
  4. Breathing exercises, visualisation and grounding techniques can reduce the physical signs of stress.

Keywords

  • Stressed - feeling overwhelmed, anxious or pressured when facing difficult or challenging situations

  • Calming - to reduce feelings of anxiety or worry

  • Relaxation - an activity that helps someone feel calm

Common misconception

Stress is always unhelpful.

Although getting stressed too often or prolonged stress can impact our wellbeing, some people thrive on a little stress as it can help them to perform better.


To help you plan your year 8 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Calming and relaxation techniques, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Model and practise a range of mindfulness techniques together. Pupils can then evaluate and feedback as to the effectiveness.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following words to the correct definitions.

Correct Answer:psychological,anything related to the mind or emotions

anything related to the mind or emotions

Correct Answer:support,actions taken to help someone in a difficult or dangerous situation

actions taken to help someone in a difficult or dangerous situation

Correct Answer:sensation,a feeling in our bodies or on our skin

a feeling in our bodies or on our skin

Q2.
Which of these statements are correct?

Tricky feelings, such as anger or jealousy, should be ignored.
Correct answer: It's ok to experience any feelings, but how we respond to them is important.
Correct answer: Everyone has feelings and talking about them is a sign of strength.
We cannot do anything to protect our mental health.

Q3.
Which of the following are biological factors that can affect mental health?

self-esteem
Correct answer: amount of sleep
work-life balance
Correct answer: diet
Correct answer: exercise

Q4.
Sometimes, is a good technique to get a break from tricky feelings.

Correct Answer: distraction

Q5.
Which of these methods could help someone work with their feelings?

vandalising property
shouting and swearing
Correct answer: 'sitting with' and experiencing feelings
withdrawing from all social activities
Correct answer: talking to a friend or trusted adult

Q6.
Complete the statements by matching the sentences.

Correct Answer:We can name emotions ...,by using an 'emotions chart'.

by using an 'emotions chart'.

Correct Answer:We can calm ourselves ...,by using breathing exercises.

by using breathing exercises.

Correct Answer:Journaling helps us ...,to write down our thoughts and feelings.

to write down our thoughts and feelings.

Correct Answer:Suppressing feelings ...,can make things harder later on.

can make things harder later on.

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the following words to the correct definitions.

Correct Answer:stressed,feeling overwhelmed or anxious when facing challenging situations

feeling overwhelmed or anxious when facing challenging situations

Correct Answer:calming,to stop feelings of anxiety or worry

to stop feelings of anxiety or worry

Correct Answer:relaxation,an activity that helps someone feel calm

an activity that helps someone feel calm

Q2.
Which of these statements are correct?

People get stressed about the same things.
Correct answer: Stress releases adrenaline which puts us into 'fight or flight' mode.
Correct answer: Some people thrive on a little stress as it helps them to perform better.
Prolonged stress does not affect our emotional or physical health.
Correct answer: Everyone's capacity for stress varies.

Q3.
Which of the following could be an emotional response to feeling stressed?

Correct answer: feeling angered or irritated easily
Correct answer: feeling tearful and crying more often
picking the skin around your fingers
feeling tense in your muscles
frequent upset stomach

Q4.
Which of the following are examples of calming breathing exercises?

Correct answer: box breathing
Correct answer: finger breathing
shallow breathing
Correct answer: bumblebee breathing

Q5.
Visualisation is using our imagination to picture a place where it’s peaceful and , for example, a beach.

Correct Answer: calm, relaxing, calming, happy, relaxed

Q6.
Which of these are examples of grounding techniques?

Correct answer: the 5-4-3-2-1 technique
Correct answer: listening to music
Correct answer: the rainbow technique
reading unkind comments online
ignoring the feelings of stress