Iowa City students learn to navigate stress and anxiety in new mental health classroom
GazetteJan 24, 2023
Jan. 24—IOWA CITY — After seeing too many of their peers at
The school converted a classroom in to a NESTT — which stands for Navigating Emotions and Stress Through Training — where students can check in at any time during the school day to learn mindfulness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
"It's like a home away from home where students can feel safe," said
"I realized so many of my friends were going through the same things and they didn't know what to do,"
Students can visit the NESTT anytime throughout the school day if they need help navigating a mental health situation or stress. Their time and activity is monitored by trained staff members and check-in and checkout forms.
The goal is for students to spend no more than 15 minutes in the NESTT focused on learning or practicing a coping skill before returning to class. Skills or tools offered at NESTT includes art, talking with staff, playing with fidget toys and listening to music.
Students have the opportunity to write their emotions in a comment box. Many responses have mentioned feeling anxious, worried, nervous, stressed or overwhelmed when they came to the NESTT. Students indicate they feel better when they leave the NESTT than when they arrived.
"The first step in caring for yourself is acknowledging when you need a minute or a break from something that is stressing you out," said
The first NESTT started in
This school year, the model was recreated at every secondary school in
About a third of 14- to 18-year-olds were experiencing a mental health crisis each year before the pandemic, Daily said, and schools were becoming a space where students could reach out for mental health support.
"Everyone holds stress differently, and once you know how it feels you will start to notice it in your body earlier, and allow you to use the tools you've learned to mitigate those feelings before they become overwhelming," Daily said.
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