Stress and Relaxation Class

Most of the women that we serve at BsideU For Life are dealing with stressful circumstances, looking for help to hold up under the pressure. Many are working through recovery from traumatic situations, combatting addiction, trying to establish or maintain housing, and other challenges. Our Life Skills program goes beyond the first connection during a crisis pregnancy to walk with each client through understanding specific needs, helping to identify and tackle root causes, and pursue God’s purpose for their lives.

In addition to presenting the gospel message as the key to sustainable life change, we offer core, ongoing classes that include bible study, GED tutoring, parenting and managing finances, among others. Through our community partnerships, we’re also able to offer special class opportunities, including things like cooking classes led by Dare to Care or cleanliness and lead poisoning awareness by the local health department. Recently we were able to host a representative from United Healthcare’s Medicaid organization who taught a class on Stress and Relaxation.

Our presenter was a licensed RN and Art Therapist, and she taught the group about how to identify stress, and what to do when we experience it. She taught practical coping mechanisms such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and therapeutic coloring, and led the group through each discipline. 

This, and other special sessions like it, have been popular and well attended by our clients. This session in particular was meaningful to an attendee that offered this feedback: “I needed this class. I’ve been a cigarette smoker, and most of the time breathing is an issue for me. Also, I feel anxious and it’s like I am always panicking. I believe if you have an accountability partner and are able to admit that you need some help, it is always good to have someone there with you. Starting out, we were coming into a calm setting, and took 10 to 15 minutes of breathing and communicating in a different environment. We learned different types of relaxation tools. The 4-7-8 breathing tool is one of the most helpful. I decided to use that at home, and also teach my family the techniques.”

We have other special class offerings coming up soon, including one that will be led by Seven Counties Services for parents and children, focuses on parenting, and preparing children for the next school year. We’ll share more about this in future newsletters. If you would like to get plugged in to our Life Skills programming or other volunteer opportunities, click here: https://www.bsideu.org/get-involved/. We’d love to hear from you!