GILES COUNTY, Va. – Stress is something we all deal with, but teenagers can be even more susceptible to its negative effects.
That’s why the Giles County 4-H is launching a virtual program with a relatable title. It’s called “Nope. Managing Stress Even When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything.”
Nine sessions make up this free program which take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m.
Each session will have a different topic. Tuesday’s topic was on stress and how your body responds to it. The first 20 minutes will center on the topic and the remaining 10 to 15 will include a guided relaxation or breathing exercises.
The hope of the program is to help increase teens’ overall awareness.
“The stomach aches or the pounding heart or the headaches,” said Sarah Pratt, associate extension agent for 4-H youth development. “Stress is often a physical symptom and so they know that that’s normal and that stress is a normal part of life and we’re always going to have stress but there are ways you can deal with it to make it easy."
This was originally an after-school program in partnership with the public school system. You don’t have to be in 4-H or from Giles County to register. You just have to be a teenager, ages 13 and up.