Background: The sympathetic nervous system speeds up our bodies like the accelerator of a car, and the parasympathetic nervous system slows down our bodies like a brake. These two systems need to work together in balance to keep us healthy.
Today in Class: We discussed these two branches of the nervous system. Then students listed activities that sped them up and activities that slowed them down, connecting them to the two branches. In the future, we'll discover ways to balance these branches.
Self-Reflection: How stressed are you? Place a hand on your stomach and inhale slowly through your nose, letting your stomach expand like a balloon. Then exhale slowly through your mouth. If you exhale more slowly and longer than you inhale, your breathing will be even more calming to your nervous system. Repeat until you feel calmer.
At-Home Support
Discuss the branches of the nervous system with your teen:
- Let's talk about the things that get your heart pumping. (Pause for responses.) It's fun to be charged up like that, but it also can wear you out.
- Now let's talk about the things that help you calm down and relax. (Pause for responses.) Those things aren't exciting, obviously, but their pretty necessary to keep you from burning out.
- If you run on adrenaline constantly, you won't be able to sleep, and you'll lose your appetite, and you'll have all kinds of problems.
- Your SEL teacher says you'll be learning ways to speed up and slow down to keep yourself in balance. I'll be interested to find out some of those ways so I can stay in balance, too.
Student Reflection
Zelfit/Shutterstock.com