Article by Phoenix writer Michelle Paszek ’24:
On Wednesday, February 15th, the Body, Mind, & Heart Club met in room 201 after school to discuss student burnout.
Senior Samantha Vitale presented her research entitled “Battle of the Burnout” to the club members. Samantha completed this research to earn her Gold Award, which is the highest Girl Scout achievement that can be earned.
During the presentation, she pointed out the symptoms of burnout and also gave tips to manage stress and prevent the development of burnout.
Samantha used instructional videos to lead the club in deep breathing exercises, yoga, and stretches that can be done sitting down at a desk.
She also shared different types of journaling that can be done to relieve stress, whether it be a collage, a mood tracker, or a daily gratitude journal. She handed out miniature journals to each of the club members and led them in a journaling exercise.
Samantha ended the presentation by speaking about the benefits of technology in stress management. She shared a list of games that can be downloaded onto a phone and be used for relaxation throughout the day.
When asked about her inspiration for the presentation, Samantha said, “I see a lot of burnout, especially in Honors where me and my friends are. We get burnt out so much and we just never learned the proper ways to cope with it. I want to give other people ways to cope so that they can put it into their routine earlier and they don’t have to deal with burnout later on.”
Junior Olivia Arguiarro, who attended the presentation, shared, “It helped me learn what burnout is. The breathing exercise was really helpful to me, and I’m going to try some of the journaling that I learned at home now.”
The Body, Mind, & Heart Club started earlier this year with the intent to focus on students’ health.
Ms. Urbanski, one of the club moderators, stated, “We created this club to do activities that are relaxing and help alleviate anxiety and stress. All of our activities center around healthy coping mechanisms for negative emotions. We want to help teach our students these healthy coping mechanisms so that they can use them in daily life when they might be dealing with stressors.”
With around a dozen current members, the club participates in many activities, such as coloring, folding origami, and writing letters to nursing homes. They have also hosted the “Let’s Walk Let’s Talk” event last fall and plan to hold another in the spring.
The Body, Mind, & Heart Club meets on Wednesdays from 3:00-3:45 PM in room 201. Any high school student interested in joining can contact either Mr. Lyons or Ms. Urbanski for more information.
