What an awesome morning! I had the privilege of leading a work-out for students in grades 7-12 at St. Paul Catholic High School. Their school is taking part in a mental health awareness initiative, called ‘Stress Busters’ and the purpose for this particular segment was to promote exercise to manage stress. The program is 5 weeks long and all students are welcome to join in the sessions during the lunch hour once every week.
I was shocked when I saw what a nice room we were going to be able to use for training. It’s nice to see a school with so many different options for their students. This room is used a lot for their dancing program, fitness programs, and even has a mini rock climbing wall!
You could tell that most of the students had never kicked or punched a shield before but they really got into it. We played some games that involved some competition and team work. It was great because even though they were learning, everyone was laughing and having a good time. 🙂 This is really the environment that I enjoy the most. I love sharing my passion for TKD with others not only as a sport but as an art and way of life. I really just wanted them to walk away saying it was fun.
As a high school student myself I can really relate and understand the daily stresses that we go through. I can’t imagine my life without TKD. It’s the natural endorphins produced through the exercise that help reduce my stress and allow me to concentrate in school and just have a more balanced outlook. I like who I am when I am training, and all my troubles seem to fade away.
I think me being a teenager as well, running the session was helpful because we could relate to each other and connect.
We talked a little bit at the end (but we were running out of time) about different ways to reduce stress. The bottom line is that it’s so important to find your outlet to relieve stress. It will be different for everyone and some things will work better than others, so keep trying until you find outlets that work best! You never know, maybe you will even find a new passion.
Thank You St. Paul High School for allowing me to share some basic Taekwon-do and ideas. I had a blast and I hope you enjoyed it too.
