As I consider the changes in classroom this fall, wearing masks, staying six feet apart and washing hands more frequently, I think about the stress of teachers needing to introduce new habits and the stress of children learning to adopt new habits.

As I considered that stress I had a new thought. Perhaps the principles of the mat could help. I had never thought of The Happenings Mat as a tool to relieve stress and yet the steps do just that! Taking slow breaths promotes relaxation and naming feelings reduces the level of stress hormones.

What if we all, teachers, children and parents alike, use the steps of the mat as a way to check in with ourselves? We could take some slow breaths and notice our feelings and needs as a way to relieve stress.

One teacher did just that. When she came to school every morning, she unrolled the mat, did the breath dots, named her feelings and needs and did some brainstorming. When she followed the steps with herself, she became more familiar with them and, as a bonus, she also felt more comfortable using the mat with children.

Writing this piece, I wondered about the exact definition of the word, “relieve.” I often get fresh insights by looking up the roots of a word as the roots are more concrete and less abstract. Checking my trusty dictionary for the origins of the word “relieve,” I found its Latin and Indo European roots: “relevare: to raise again” and “legw: light, having little weight.”

So, with all these stressful changes, we can help ourselves to “lighten the weight” and “to raise again.” Take some slow breaths, name some feelings and needs and lighten the load of stress.

PS Almost forgot…just finished a book on The Happenings Mat! It describes the steps of the mat in detail and offers real-world examples of how children, teachers and parents work with the mat. If you would like, buy the book.