Emphasize relaxation skills

Outcome

Self-Regulation

Intervention Family

Skill-Building Interventions

Emphasize Relaxation Skills

Evidence

The 15 skill-building interventions that included relaxation skills showed greater improvements in self-regulation than those that did not include this content.

Relaxation skills training is intended to help participants assess their physical and emotional state during periods of both normal and elevated tension. With these skills children can become better aware of when they are experiencing emotions and frustrations that they need to control. The skills themselves can help children regulate their own emotions and behaviors. Furthermore, relaxation skills can be practiced regardless of the situation. For example, children can leverage deep breathing techniques to remain in control of their emotions regardless of the context (e.g., waiting in a frustrating line, communicating with a bully).

Specific relaxation skills taught by interventions in our evidence base include: breathing techniques, progressive relaxation, exercise, physical/muscle relaxation, positive self-statements, guided imagery, mental body scans, assessments of emotions, assessments of thoughts, focus on the participant’s five senses, journaling/drawing, and de-escalation strategies like counting to 10. For some interventions, the explicit goal of relaxation efforts was to reduce or dispel participant anger; for others, the goal was to build a positive, compassionate mindset. A subset of interventions used biofeedback monitors to help participants better grasp the physical manifestations (e.g., heart rate and breathing) of relaxed and non-relaxed states

Assess Feasibility

Program content.
Assess the extent to which your program already covers relaxation skills, including time for modeling, practice, and role plays.
Staff development.
Do staff have the knowledge, mindset, and tools needed to teach relaxation skills effectively? Do they need training on creating environments where participants are comfortable practicing relaxation skills?
Program structure.
Assess the current length of your program and whether there is room to add relaxation content to your lesson plans. What might need to change to accommodate additional material and practice time for participants? Are there aspects of your program that are less engaging that can be dropped? What accommodations are needed to include youth with disabilities in relaxation activities?

Take Action

Consider the following courses of action depending on the results of your feasibility assessment:

Revise lesson plans, staff training content or internal program guidance to ensure coverage of relaxation skills.
Address the mental health needs of your staff. It can be difficult to teach relaxation skills if you’re not well-versed in self-care and able to calm yourself. Provide staff with access to mental health and wellbeing services.
Provide training and support for staff as needed to teach relaxation skills. Think about providing opportunities for staff to learn and practice the skills they’re teaching so they can share the participant experience.
Engage youth and parents in planning to ensure the kinds of relaxation skills taught are relevant and designed to meet their needs. Relaxation skills training may be unfamiliar to some parents; engage parents to ensure inclusivity and avoid alienating those who may be cautious.
Insert opportunities for youth to practice relaxation skills. Ideas include offering video or audio guided imagery recordings to help youth visualize relaxing situations and adding regular relaxation moments into the program sessions.

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