Lesson 7 ⏱️ 60-75 minutes Week 2 of 6

Taha Hinengaro – Stress, Anxiety & Coping Strategies

Understanding the stress response, naming triggers, and building a personalised coping toolkit grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā.

Learning Area: Health & Physical Education

Year Level: Y7-13 (adaptable scaffolds provided)

Focus: Taha Hinengaro (Mental & Emotional Wellbeing) - Stress Literacy & Coping

Cultural Framework: Te Whare Tapa Whā - Strengthening Hinengaro through Whānau & Wairua

🎯 Learning Intentions / Ngā Whāinga Akoranga

🎥 Media Anchor

Video: The significance of Te Whare Tapa Whā - Sir Mason Durie

How does this lesson strengthen Taha Hinengaro alongside other wellbeing dimensions?
Which coping or support strategy will you practise this week and why?

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Explain how the stress response (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) shows up across Te Whare Tapa Whā
Identify personal stress triggers and early warning signs in their tinana (body) and hinengaro (mind)
Practise at least three mana-enhancing coping strategies (breathwork, grounding, micro-rest rituals)
Evaluate which strategies feel culturally and personally safe, and when to reach out for support
Design a personalised Taha Hinengaro Coping Plan that includes people, places, and practices for regulation

📋 NZ Curriculum Alignment

Health & Physical Education Learning Area

Mental Health & Wellbeing: Students develop knowledge, understandings, skills, and attitudes to strengthen resilience and emotional literacy
Personal Health & Physical Development: Students describe stress responses, practise regulation strategies, and seek help when needed
Relationships with Other People: Students identify support networks and mana-enhancing ways to tautoko peers experiencing anxiety
Healthy Communities & Environments: Students explore school- and community-based supports that uphold hauora
Te Mātaiaho 2025: Hauora | Health & Wellbeing – Ākonga recognise emotions, regulate responses, and draw on whānau, peers, and professionals for support

Key Competencies

Managing Self (self-awareness, self-regulation, coping plan design)
Relating to Others (empathy, manaakitanga, collective problem-solving)
Participating and Contributing (building class culture of safety and support)
Thinking (metacognition around stress triggers, evaluating strategy effectiveness)

🧰 Resources Needed

📋 Handouts:

🎨 Materials:

Calming music or taonga pūoro playlist
Timer or chimes
Large paper / whiteboard for mind maps
Sensory objects (stress balls, textured fabrics, lavender oil)
Optional: beanbags, cushions, low lighting for regulation stations

💻 Digital (Optional):

Short explainer video on nervous system responses
Audio-guided breathing or karakia tracks
Slide deck summarising coping strategies with Te Whare Tapa Whā framing

📋 Kaiako Planning Snapshot / Teacher Planning Snapshot

Timing Overview

Opening Ritual & Stress Thermometer: 8 min
Understanding the Stress Response: 15 min
Coping Strategy Exploration: 20 min
Personalised Coping Plan Design: 15 min
Support Pathways & Whakamutunga: 10 min
Total: ~68 min

Key Prep Notes

Test audio/video setup before class — breathing audio tracks work best on speakers
Set room for low stimulation: dims lights, clears clutter if possible
Have counsellor contact details visible — this lesson surfaces disclosures
Review mandatory reporting obligations before delivery

⏰ Lesson Flow

🌅 Opening Ritual & Stress Thermometer

8 minutes

Karakia Timatanga:

Kia tau te mauri, kia tau te wairua
Kia tau ngā āhua o te rā ki a tātou
Whakamaua kia tina! TĪNA!

Let our energy settle, let our spirit settle
May the experiences of the day rest gently with us
Bind it, make it firm! TĪNA!

Stress Thermometer Check-In: Using the Stress Thermometer handout or projected slide, students silently indicate their current zone (cool, warming, hot, overheating). Affirm that all zones are valid information.

Koru Breath: Guide two slow inhale/exhale cycles tracing the koru pattern with a finger. Invite students to notice any shifts in their thermometer colour.

Whakaaro Prompt: "What colour is your stress energy right now? What does your body need during this lesson?" Students can whisper to a partner or jot in their journal.

💭 Myth Busting: Stories We Hear About Stress

12 minutes

Brainstorm: "What messages have you heard about stress, anxiety, or overwhelm?" Record ideas on the board under Helpful vs Unhelpful.

"Stress is always bad"
"Strong people don't cry"
"Anxiety is just in your head"
"You should calm down instantly"
"If I ignore it, it disappears"

🔥 Challenge the Myths:

MYTH: "Stress is always bad"
TRUTH: Stress is your body's alarm that something matters. Chronic stress can harm us, but early signals help us respond and protect our hauora.

MYTH: "Anxiety means I'm weak"
TRUTH: Anxiety is a survival response. Many leaders, creatives, and carers experience it because their brains are alert. Strength is acknowledging it and seeking tautoko.

MYTH: "I should fix it alone"
TRUTH: Regulation is relational. Te Whare Tapa Whā reminds us we need whānau, culture, whenua, and self-care practices to feel safe again.

🗣️ Language: Externalise anxiety with phrases like "When anxiety visits..." Avoid labelling students as anxious; normalise the experience.

Journal Prompt: "Which myth shows up for me? What new truth will I hold instead?"

🧠 Mapping Stress Across Te Whare Tapa Whā

15 minutes

Demo: Use the hand model of the brain (flip your lid) or a short animation to explain how the amygdala, nervous system, and cortex respond to perceived threat.

Group Task: On a large Te Whare Tapa Whā poster, students add sticky notes describing how stress shows up in each pillar:

Taha Tinana: tight jaw, racing heart, sore puku, headaches
Taha Hinengaro: looping thoughts, blank mind, catastrophising
Taha Whānau: withdrawing, snapping at others, craving hugs
Taha Wairua: feeling disconnected, questioning purpose, needing karakia

Debrief: "What patterns do we notice? How is our body trying to protect us?" Emphasise early-warning signs.

Safety: Offer a grounding option (press feet into floor, name three things seen) for anyone who becomes activated. Students may pass on sharing.

🧰 Coping Strategy Stations: Fill Your Kete

20 minutes

Activity: Set up five regulation stations. Students rotate every 3–4 minutes, rating each strategy 1–5 for how calming it felt. Encourage respectful quiet in each zone.

Suggested Stations:

1. Koru Breath Station

Use the Koru Breath Card to guide 4-count inhale, 6-count exhale.
Play taonga pūoro or ocean sounds to anchor rhythm.

2. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

Students work through the Grounding Cards naming senses.
Provide sensory items (texture fabrics, scented oil, crunchy snacks).

3. Wairua Reset

Quiet nook with low lighting, cushions, karakia/prayer cards.
Invite students to draw koru patterns or write a gratitude sentence.

4. Whānau Connection Practice

Role-play cards for asking for help; students practise with a partner.
Sentence starters: "Ākuanei ka rongo au i te pōkaikaha, ka..."

5. Hinengaro Release

Guided journalling using the Hinengaro Reflection Journal prompts.
Optional mindful colouring or fidget tools to support focus.

Station Reflection Prompts: "Where did you feel this in your whare? What pillar did it nourish? When might you use it?"

Manaakitanga: Allow students to create their own regulation station or take a rest station. Provide noise-cancelling headphones or movement breaks for sensory needs.

📝 Designing My Taha Hinengaro Coping Plan

12 minutes

Individual Task: Students complete the personal plan on the Coping Strategy Menu or a fresh journal page.

Prompts to Guide Planning:

Early signals: "When stress starts whispering, I notice..." (body + mind signs)
Quick resets (2 minutes or less): Choose two strategies (breath, cold water splash, naming colours in te reo, mini karakia).
Deeper resets (10+ minutes): Select one for each pillar (tinana, hinengaro, whānau, wairua) from today’s stations or new ideas.
Support crew: List trusted people + contact options (kaiako, whānau, counsellor, helplines). Include how to ask for help.
Boundary statement: "If stress feels bigger than me, I will..." (e.g., talk to counsellor, take a sensory break, email mentor).

Exit Ticket (optional): Students write a self-reminder on a sticky note: "When I feel _______, I will try ______." Add to a class coping wall or take home.

🌸 Closing Circle & Karakia Whakatau

8 minutes

Reflection Circle (voluntary):

One signal my body gives me when stress is building...
One strategy that felt calming today...
One person or place I can reach out to this week...

Teacher Affirmation:

"Ko tō hinengaro, tō tinana, tō wairua he taonga. Stress is information, not an identity. You deserve spaces and people who help you regulate and heal."

Karakia Whakamutunga:

Whakakapia ngā tatau o te pōuri
Kia pūare ngā tatau o te māramatanga
Kia tau te rangimārie ki a tātou katoa
Whakamaua kia tina! TĪNA!

Close the doors to darkness
Open the doors to understanding
Let peace rest upon us all
Bind it, make it firm! TĪNA!

Optional: Offer one final koru breath or lavender oil dab as students transition out.

📊 Assessment Opportunities

Formative Assessment:

Observation during coping stations (engagement, willingness to try regulation tools)
Stress Thermometer check-ins (identifying zones and signals)
Quality of reflection in Hinengaro Journal (linking strategies to Te Whare Tapa Whā)
Coping Plan detail (specificity of strategies, inclusion of support crew)
Class kōrero contributions (ability to challenge stress myths respectfully)

Portfolio Evidence:

Completed Taha Hinengaro Coping Plan
Journal entry: "How does stress show up in my whare and what helps?"
Exit ticket or sticky-note reminder (photo or scanned copy)
Optional: Audio reflection describing a preferred strategy and when they will use it

🎨 Differentiation Strategies

For Students with Disabilities / Chronic Health:

Ensure regulation stations include seated, low-energy, and sensory-friendly options
Offer noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets, or fidget tools as needed
Empower students to adapt strategies (e.g., visual breathing guides, text-to-speech journalling)
Check in privately about access needs before role-plays or group sharing

For Neurodivergent Learners:

Provide clear visual schedules and timers for station rotations
Allow scripting or written communication for help-seeking practice
Offer opt-in/opt-out choices for sensory-heavy stations; provide a "quiet cave"
Validate stimming or movement as regulation tools

For Students with Trauma Histories:

Keep exits visible, avoid sudden loud noises, and invite consent before touch-based activities
Use invitational language ("If you'd like to, you might try...")
Provide grounding objects, water, and easy access to support staff if needed
Normalise taking breaks; model co-regulation techniques

For Younger Students (Y7-8):

Use visuals (emoji thermometers, colour-coded strategies)
Shorten explanations; add quick games illustrating fight-flight-freeze
Co-construct coping plans with more teacher scaffolding
Focus on two go-to strategies rather than a long list

For Older Students (Y11-13):

Analyse the science of the nervous system; connect to senior Health standards
Discuss systemic pressures (capitalism, social media) that intensify stress
Design peer-support protocols or wellbeing campaigns for the wider kura
Encourage reflection on how cultural practices sustain hauora under stress

🚀 Extensions & Connections

Extensions for Advanced Learners:

Research the neuroscience of stress hormones and present findings visually
Investigate Indigenous and Pacific calming practices (rongoā, lomilomi, lāʻau lapaʻau)
Design a wellbeing resource (podcast, zine, video) teaching peers how to regulate kindly
Audit school spaces for regulation accessibility and propose improvements
Interview a kaumātua or counsellor about historical resilience practices

Cross-Curricular Connections:

Science: Nervous system, endocrine responses, sleep science
Social Studies: Collective approaches to hauora, whānau-centred care models
English: Reflective writing, spoken word pieces on anxiety experiences
Te Reo Māori: Vocabulary for emotions, karakia, tikanga for supporting hinengaro
Digital Technologies: Create an app prototype for stress check-ins grounded in Te Whare Tapa Whā

Community Connections:

Invite school counsellor, youth worker, or kaiārahi to share coping tools
Partner with local marae or community centre for mindfulness/wairua workshops
Organise a "Calm Corners" project across classrooms or whānau spaces
Service learning: Older students mentor Year 7/8 on stress strategies
Explore helplines and youth services, creating a resource list for the kura

📌 Teacher Notes & Pastoral Care

🛡️ Creating Psychologically Safe Spaces:

Conversations about stress can surface trauma. Prepare by:

Establishing group agreements (confidentiality, pass option, no fixing others)
Identifying a calm corner / exit strategy for students to ground independently
Checking ventilation, lighting, and sensory load before guided breathing
Signposting support (counsellor, nurse, trusted kaiako) at the start and end

⚠️ Red Flags to Watch For:

Hyperventilating, panic attacks, dizziness
Statements implying hopelessness ("Nothing helps", "What's the point")
Self-harm references or desire to disappear
Perfectionism spirals ("If I don't calm down in 2 minutes I'm useless")
Students disclosing unsafe whānau / community situations

If you notice these: Ground first (breath, water, cool cloth), then follow kura pastoral protocols. Document and connect with counselling team/whānau as appropriate.

💚 Trauma- & Culture-Informed Practice:

Use invitational language and respect body autonomy (no forced role-plays)
Embed te reo Māori and mātauranga (karakia, whakapapa) as protective factors
Offer regulation choices so students can align strategies with their culture / faith
Acknowledge structural stressors (racism, poverty, colonisation) and honour collective coping
Model self-regulation openly (share your own grounding strategy)

🎯 Equity Considerations:

Time & Space: Some students lack private areas to regulate at home—co-design school calm zones
Access: Provide free sensory tools (stress balls, earplugs) and digital copies of handouts
Cultural Safety: Invite whānau to contribute tikanga-aligned strategies; avoid tokenism
Neurodiversity: Allow stimming, movement, or silent participation as valid regulation
Language: Translate key resources or pair students for bilingual support

Response: Advocate for school-wide wellbeing systems (routine check-ins, de-escalation training) and ensure follow-up for students who disclose heavy loads.

📚 Recommended Resources:

Le Va – Pacific wellbeing and anxiety resources
SPARX – NZ-developed digital CBT programme for rangatahi
Te Hiringa Mahara (MHF) – Aotearoa stress management tools
Voices of Hope – Youth-led stories and coping strategies
1737 – Free call/text support; encourage students to save it

🌱 Personal Teacher Preparation:

Reflect on your own stress triggers and regulation strategies before teaching
Plan co-regulation tools you can genuinely model (breath, grounding, micro-breaks)
Know referral pathways and documentation requirements for disclosures
Debrief with colleagues after heavy sessions; protect your own hauora

👀 Coming Up Next...

Lesson 8: Rest & Recovery - The Power of Sleep

Students will explore the importance of sleep for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. We'll investigate sleep science, create mana-enhancing bedtime rituals, and challenge "sleep is for the weak" hustle culture.

To Prepare: Students should trial at least one coping strategy from their plan before next lesson and note how it affected their energy, mood, and sleep. Encourage whānau conversations about restful routines.