Recognizing the stress that students face at Chapel Hill High School, social worker Stephanie Kotzen began a series of “mindfulness lunches” to teach students to balance school and anxiety.
Mindfulness is a psychiatrist-approved way to control stress, anxiety and emotions in a focused and calm mental state.
Posters that Student Support Services placed around campus pointed out that that mindfulness “reduce[s] stress and anxiety, boost[s] memory and focus, improve[s] immune functioning [and] improve[s] emotional regulation and relationship satisfaction.”
Kotzen started the mindfulness lunches for students to learn methods to cope with stress, both at school and in life.
“It’s really important to know how to have some control over our feelings, because they can be very overwhelming,” she said. “So many students are so stressed out here at school, and being able to practice mindfulness is a great way to reduce that anxiety.”
The lunch on April 18 was the sixth of seven lunches for the 2018–19 year. The lunches take place in room B-140 for about 30 minutes. Around 20 to 30 students have attended each session.
“It really helped me,” sophomore Irene Noudjigoto said. “I came because I was very stressed as a student. This is a place where you get that time to calm down and know you can do it.”
Activities at the lunches include deep breathing, meditation and guided imagery. Pizza is served free to all attendees.
“It’s nice to slow down once in a while,” senior Bree Ressler said. “It’s peace and pizza. What else could you want?”
Kotzen encourages students and staff to participate in the last lunch of the year on May 16.
