Everyone knows that exercise is a great way to keep your body healthy. But evidence also supports that exercise is critical to keeping your mind healthy too. Exercise improves sleep, increases energy levels, and reduces stress. Time to move!

Start your own walking group or join one that already exists - it's a great way to exercise your mind and body.

Mindfulness helps individuals to cope with stress, form better relationships and improve quality of life. Research suggests that practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, reduce chronic pain, increase immunity and decrease general anxiety. Click here for mindfulness exercises shared by the Mayo Clinic.

Relaxation techniques can reduce stress and bring a better quality of life. Using relaxation techniques can often help to reduce the effects of stress on both the mind and body. Click here to visit a site with visual relaxation links.

The increased presence of technology in our lives brings both convenience and stress. However, there is no shortage of phone apps available to support the movement to reduce that stress and bring calm. Click here for the 12 best calming apps to relax, destress and clear your mind.

We’ve known for generations that kids take well to coloring, but research on the benefits for adults is more recent. It is now believed that adult coloring has the ability to relax the fear center in the brain, the amygdala. Coloring can induce the same state as meditating by reducing restless thoughts, generating mindfulness and quietness in an otherwise overactive mind. Find virtual coloring pages here and here.

Yoga incorporates breathing, meditation, and poses all intended to encourage relaxation and reduce stress. Practicing yoga comes with many benefits for physical and mental health, all supported by science. Here are some online stretching and yoga resources:

• Click here for relaxing full-body stretching
• Click here for streching workout for stiff muscles and stress relief
• Click here for a 10-minute morning yoga full-body stretch
• Click here for free online yoga classes

A calm room offers time and space (maybe in-person, maybe virtually) for individuals to reflect and employ breathing techniques and meditation strategies in an effort to manage emotions, feelings, and potentially even physical symptoms like elevated heart rate or blood pressure or hyperventilation. Click here for virtual calm rooms.

Small group activity led by a certified facilitator intended to take participants through an evidence-based, scripted conversation on managing stress. Please contact your school counselor or executive director of student services Scott Kessel at skessel@aledoisd.org to discuss options.

One-on-one session with an AISD staff member who serves the district as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Please contact your campus counselor or executive director of student services Scott Kessel at skessel@aledoisd.org to discuss options.