Understanding the workload that every grade 12 student suffers, UNIS counselors have introduced a stress management program to enhance the seniors’ performances and psychological condition.

The main part of the stress management program is the 15-minute yoga lessons every Monday and Friday homeroom a professional yoga instructor.  By making students stand up on barefoot and just breathe, release all concerns of school works or due dates, the practice aims to create a moment of silence and peace and from there calm down the students’ busy minds. The short session, although just consisting of simple poses and practices such as the mountain poses or the tree poses, has proven itself to be very helpful as a stress managing practice.

Giang, a Grade 12 student, shared her experience: “A short yoga practice is a good way to start up my day. A calm and relaxing mind helps me to better concentrate during the day.”

In addition to the yoga lessons, Ms. Candy Crouch , UNIS high school counselor, has also created a 10-minute session of just silence, standing and breathing every Wednesday, which is, similar to the yoga practices, based on the benefits of breathing. Besides the benefit of stress elimination, students’ health and fitness can also be enhanced from the standing practices. Scientific proof shows standing while working instead of sitting helps people to burn more calories, enhances the spiral, strengthen the leg muscles, improve balance and stay more focused.

Apart from the official stress management program, other mental-pressure- releasing tools have also been introduced around campus. A typical example is UNIS Business and Humanities teacher Mr. Garland’s encouragement for students to stand in class using standing desks, instead of just sitting for the whole period. Together with this, he also introduced a website titled http://calm.com/ to assist students in their stress management program.

“The stress management program would help to enhance students’ ability to learn and improve academic performance”, Ms. Candice said, “Learning to control minds is learning a lifelong skill to cope with all situations in life.