A school in a small town in Finland decided to try different ways to help students cope with feelings of anxiety.
Anxiety levels among Finnish teens have increased since the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
When THL’s National School Health Survey revealed that half of girls in grades 8 and 9 in Finland suffer from anxiety, one school decided to take matters into its own hands. Did.
Junior high school girls at Terbakoski School in Janakala reported very high anxiety levels. She said nearly 54 percent of girls at this Hame area school experienced moderate to severe anxiety. This figure from 2023 onwards is double her number from the 2021 School Health Survey.
The results prompted school officials to take action.
After speaking with the 8th and 9th grade female students, the vice principal Sami Piilonen I got the impression that their anxiety revolved around two main themes: academics and pressure on their appearance.
Discussions with students further revealed that social media reinforces the pressure to conform to certain beauty ideals. Additionally, Piilonen pointed out that 14- and 15-year-olds are facing many challenges, from the years of the pandemic to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Free porridge and meditation
After a school health survey revealed that many students were skipping breakfast, the school decided to go back to basics and start offering free oatmeal before classes at 7:45 a.m.
Another measure introduced to improve wellbeing was the initiation of weekly relaxation breaks in school gymnasiums.
The school also established a girls’ support group and assigned students a support counselor they could call if they needed help with homework or just wanted to chat.
Support groups focus on simple life hacks, and school counselors layer siriohe told Ale. This includes reminding teens to take breaks when studying or going for a run before cracking books for a big exam.
The group also encourages girls to have conversations with their families to get them used to expressing their feelings and asking for help at home.
But Sailio emphasized that anxiety is also a normal part of life.
“When anxiety becomes constant, you have an anxiety disorder, but you also have to learn to tolerate some anxiety as a normal part of life. Anxiety will come and go.” she says.
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