by Michelle McLemore

First published May 2024 in Energy Magazine.

“Do you have any lavender oil I can use?I have a test next hour and my neck is
tight.”
“My baby spider plant is growing so big! I think it likes me talking to it.”
“I got my mom to do yoga with me last night and she liked it too!”

These were just a few comments I heard while teaching psychoneuroimmunology (aka stress management) over the years at my local public high school.

National and world news in the prior years had become disturbing and it was worrying teens and adults alike. School shootings, depression, and suicides were increasing. Social influencers created cell phone addictions as well as unrealistic expectations for personal looks, actions, and popularity. And so, pitching a stress management class to my principal was an easy sell. As the psychology teacher, the class became a combination of psychology standards, research, my own experiences, and my energy practice.

The first year in 2017, 101 students out of an approximate 500 in the student body, signed up for the elective course. It was clear: teens knew they needed help. In an initial reflection, Tyler wrote, “If a situation is really bad, I don’t do well. I get stressed and shut down. Like I end up just not talking and getting really shaky.” The core of both my one-on-one work, as well as with student classes, is empowerment. We live in a world where people are encouraged to identify as victims, not survivors. And yet, every single person has more strength and control than they usually realize. Activating that strength is about revealing the truth that teens can make conscious choices now that will help them feel better and be healthier in the future.

The first day of class, I revealed the secret…they all had super powers. Of course they laughed initially, and many eyebrows arched wondering if I had lost my mind. Yet, over time they came to accept, to varying degrees, that they embody the power to heal, the power to love, and the power to influence (to some degree) everything in the cosmos…..

The entire article may be read at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1znoPbL2z266N_4_F2rxdEW9WCR8X3WsM/view?usp=sharing