Lesson 187—Physical and Emotional Health

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Jesus Christ Can Strengthen Us

We all feel stress. Stress can help us accomplish daily tasks and meet the challenges of life. However, prolonged stress and feelings of anxiousness can negatively affect us. The Lord can help us. This lesson can help students identify and practice skills to turn to the Lord to manage stress and anxiety.

Possible Learning Activities

Stress and anxiety

Note: It may be helpful to know that you do not need to be an expert on this subject to teach this lesson. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Ghost, follow the materials, and trust your students. If students ask questions you do not know how to address or if they share personal struggles they face, invite them to seek help from the Lord, their parents, Church leaders, and mental health professionals.

To help students prepare to study about stress and anxiety, invite them to make a list on the board of things that cause stress or anxiety in a teenager’s life. If useful, they could circle what they feel are the top three or four stresses.

Explain the following:

Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life. This is how the brain and body respond to any demand, such as a problem at home, a test at school, or an important decision. The right amounts of stress and anxiety can help us focus, reach goals, and protect the body. However, too much stress or anxiety for too long can become a problem.

• How do you think you can tell when stress and anxiety is normal and healthy and when it is too much?

Listen to students’ answers, and add any of the following information.

If you are dealing with too much stress or anxiety, you might get sick often, have headaches, feel angry much of the time, have drastic changes in your appetite, or experience a lack of focus. Unhealthy anxiety can also manifest itself in the following symptoms: feelings of panic, constant rapid breathing, weakness and lethargy, trouble sleeping, digestive problems, fixation on anxiety, or difficulty thinking clearly.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Watch for the stress indicators in yourself and in others you may be able to help. As with your automobile, be alert to rising temperatures, excessive speed, or a tank low on fuel. … [Make] the requisite adjustments. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Like a Broken Vessel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 41)

Explain that we may experience different levels of stress and anxiety at different times. Display the following chart, and invite students to alternate reading through the four stress levels with a partner. Invite them to share with each other one thing they want to remember about each level.

Four Levels of Stress

Four Levels of Stress

	Signs you are at this level	What to do
Green	Signs you are at this level Confidence Happiness Feeling Ready to meet challenges Recovering quickly from setbacks Getting along with others Feeling the Spirit	What to do This is the ideal. Here you are handling the everyday stressors of life, learning, and progressing. Continue to do your best and trust in the Lord.
Yellow	Signs you are at this level Feeling tense, worried, insecure, anxious, or unprepared Trouble getting along with others Difficulty feeling the Spirit	What to do It is normal to spend some time at the yellow level. Being kind to yourself as you cope with challenges and learn new skills will help you become stronger and increase your abilities. Continue to pray and do your best. Look to the Lord for help, and try some of the skills you will learn in this lesson.
Orange	Signs you are at this level Exhaustion (physical and emotional) Illness (for example, upset stomach) Getting angry easily Feeling deeply discouraged Inability to feel the Spirit	What to do No one enjoys being at an orange level of stress, but this is rarely permanent. Pray for guidance as you study scriptures and apply the suggestions in this lesson. If you stay at the orange level for more than three days, let your parents or a trusted adult know so they can help.
Red	Signs you are at this level Persistent depression, panic or anxiety Hopelessness Trouble eating or sleeping (can lead to illness) Feeling overwhelmed Inability to move forward Feeling abandoned by God	What to do If you are at this level, speak to a parent or trusted adult for help. Consider seeking professional help and asking for a priesthood blessing. Consider taking time to write in your journal and pondering the suggestions in this lesson. Perhaps take a break from the things you find most difficult until you have a chance to speak with a trusted adult.

Give students a few moments to ponder and assess their current levels of stress and anxiety. Invite them to ponder the following questions:

• In general, which stress level do you feel best describes you?

• How do you feel about your ability to decrease your stress level when needed?

All of us can improve our ability to recognize when we are under too much stress or anxiety. We can also improve our ability to turn to the Lord for help. As you study this lesson, look for ways to invite the Lord’s help as you manage stress and anxiety.

The Lord’s help

Read several of the following verses, looking for how they might apply to us when we feel too much stress or anxiety: Psalm 55:22; Isaiah 40:29; Matthew 11:28; Mosiah 24:14–15.

• What did you learn from these scriptures?

  Students may identify several truths, such as the following: as we come unto the Savior with our burdens, He can give us peace and rest; or as we turn to the Lord, He can ease our burdens and strengthen us.

• How could these truths apply to stress and anxiety?

An example in the scriptures

It may be helpful to discuss a few examples of these truths. Take a few minutes to search the scriptures for examples of individuals who experienced stress or anxiety.

Examples include the following: Daniel in the lions’ den (see Daniel 6); Mary when the angel announced she would be the mother of the Son of God (see Luke 1:26–56); Jacob’s “over anxiety” as he called his people to repentance (Jacob 4:18; see also Jacob 1:4–5; 2:3); Joseph Smith when he did not know which church to follow (see Joseph Smith—History 1:1–20) or when he was imprisoned in Liberty Jail (see Doctrine and Covenants 121).

Once students have found an example, encourage them to review the account in the scriptures and answer the following questions with another student. After sufficient time, invite a few students to share with the class what they discovered.

• What level of stress do you feel would be normal in this situation?

• How might the stress and anxiety in this situation have influenced the individual’s behavior?

• What did the individual do to turn to the Lord for help with their stress or anxiety?

Consider asking students how they could turn to the Lord for help with their stress and anxiety. They could watch “Reach Up to Him in Faith” (3:54) for additional ideas.

Reach Up to Him in Faith

Skills for managing stress and anxiety

To help students practice skills that can help them manage stress and anxiety, consider doing one or both of the following activities.

Think of stresses or anxiety you feel. As you try the following skills, look for any indication that they are helping you.

1. Practice mindful meditation.

   Define: Explain that mindfulness is being present in the moment, with no interpretation or judgment of what we are experiencing. One way of doing this is to focus on our breathing by doing simple breathing exercises.

   Model: Though you and students may feel a little uncomfortable doing this as a class, express that this skill is worth trying and has many benefits. Explain that students will do the following:

   • Take a few deep, slow breaths through your nose, pausing after each one.

   • Relax your shoulders. Try to breathe so your stomach moves, not your shoulders.

   • Try to focus on your breath. If your thoughts stray, gently return your attention to the sensations of your breathing.

   Alternatively, you could invite students to breathe in for four seconds, hold it for five seconds, and exhale for six seconds. (Students can adapt the exercise if needed.)

   Before class, consider practicing this skill on your own. You may even take your pulse before and after practicing this skill to see if your heartrate lowers, a possible indication that your stress is lowering. Consider sharing with your class how the skill affected you.

   Practice: Invite students to complete the activity. As they do, encourage them to notice the physical sensations of their lungs expanding and contracting as they breathe. Invite them to notice if they get distracted and what types of thoughts, feelings, and sensations distract them. Observe students without trying to control or judge them, and simply bring their attention back to their breathing.

   Invite students to share how they felt. If you would like, you can have them take their pulse before and after the exercise and report if it lowered.

   • Why might this skill help when we feel stressed or anxious?

2. Focus on gratitude.

   Define: Take time to notice what is good and positive about yourself and the world. Especially ponder what the Lord has done for you and those around you (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:7). One way to do this is by writing five things you are grateful for each day in a gratitude journal.

   Model: Explain that students can have a separate journal or use a part of a journal they already have, like their study journal for seminary. They could also write their thoughts in a note on their phone. This activity includes the following steps:

   • Write at least five specific things you are grateful for, especially things the Lord has done for you.

   • Write why you are grateful for these things.

   • Strive to continue the practice each day.

   Consider trying this skill yourself before class. You can share parts of your experience and how it made you feel.

   Practice: Invite students to write five specific things they are grateful for, especially things the Lord has done for them, their family, and other loved ones. Ask them to also write why they are grateful for those things.

   • How do you feel after practicing this skill?

   • Why might this skill help when you feel stressed or anxious?

Invite students to share other skills they use to help manage their stress and anxiety. The following are some examples: pray to the Lord, limit technology use, take a short break, be active, examine your expectations, be kind to yourself, and focus on someone else.

Conclude by seeking guidance from the Lord to make a plan of what to do and when and how often to invite the Savior to help you manage your stress and anxiety.

Additional Resources

Where can I turn when I have fear or anxiety?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:

My beloved friends, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if we ever find ourselves living in fear or anxiety, … I pray with all the strength of my soul that we may become liberated from this fear by the divinely appointed antidote to fear: the pure love of Christ, for “perfect love casteth out fear” [1 John 4:18].

Christ’s perfect love overcomes temptations to harm, coerce, bully, or oppress.

Christ’s perfect love allows us to walk with humility, dignity, and a bold confidence as followers of our beloved Savior. Christ’s perfect love gives us the confidence to press through our fears and place our complete trust in the power and goodness of our Heavenly Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ.

In our homes, in our places of business, in our Church callings, in our hearts, let us replace fear with Christ’s perfect love. Christ’s love will replace fear with faith! (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 107)

What are other resources for help with stress and anxiety?

• “Managing Stress and Anxiety” (Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience [2021], 55–74)

• “Understanding Stress” and “General Principles for Managing Stress” (Adjusting to Missionary Life [resource booklet, 2013], 3–10, 17–22) (Note: These chapters are written to missionaries, but the principles they teach can be adapted to a more general audience.)

• Debra Theobald McClendon, “Discerning Your Feelings: Anxiety or the Spirit?,” (digital-only article), Ensign, Apr. 2019, ChurchofJesusChrist.org (Note: This resource includes a helpful chart that contrasts the characteristics and feelings of the Spirit with anxiety.)

Supplemental Learning Activities

An additional skill

The following is an additional skill you could invite students to try:

Limit technology use.

Define: Limiting technology use can help manage stress. Social media, computers, and TVs, especially at the start and end of the day, can increase feelings of anxiety or stress. (see Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience [2021], 66.)

Model: Share an example of limiting technology use that may help manage stress and anxiety. For example, someone might use their phone for scripture study or to listen to a general conference talk in the morning but not check social media until lunchtime. They check again after school. After dinner they watch a show or play video games but end an hour before bedtime. Another example is someone who does not use media until after a certain time in the day and limits themselves to an hour or two. Another idea is going a day or a week without social media or TV and noticing the results. In a worldwide youth devotional, President Russell M. Nelson gave the challenge of a seven-day social media fast to the youth (see Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Consider practicing at least a portion of this skill before class and sharing your experience with the class.

Practice: Invite students to make a plan for limiting their technology use for the next week. Ask them to record how it helps with feelings of stress and anxiety.