Talk/Read/Succeed!

Take a deep breath. Relax. Do that over and over. Feel your worries melt away.

That is exactly what happened recently at Springfield Housing Authority’s Sullivan Apartments, where a dozen residents and friends participated in an hour-long seminar to practice a simple technique that chases stress away.

‘Stress Reduction,’ was brought to the Sullivan Community Center by Behavioral Health Network, a partner in the Talk/Read/Succeed! early literacy program that focuses on family health as a means to promote all-around success and independence. The session landed squarely into one of T/R/S!’ four stated goals – parent education.

Psychologist Jennifer MacGregor of BHN’s School Street Counseling facility ran the session in Spanish, guiding the men and women through a series of relaxation steps that focused on breathing, clearing the mind of stressors, and visualizing good things.

She offered handouts, also in Spanish, so that participants may guide themselves through the process whenever they wish.

“We want to provide some skills to relaxing, and some understanding of what stress does in our lives, and what it does to our bodies,” MacGregor said.

Psychologist Jennifer MacGregor, resident Yomary Smith and T/R/S! Program Coordinator Zenaida Burgos following the Stress Reduction session at Sullivan Apartments.

With participants, she reviewed the impact stress has on the brain, on the body, and even on the household where a person with anxiety or stress lives.

“If you live with a lot of stress, your base line for dealing with it gets higher and higher. Suddenly, it doesn’t take much – just one little thing going wrong – to throw people into an agitated state, to hit those high points,” MacGregor said.

By the same token, it can be quite easy to control, with a bit of determination and work towards a calmer path.

MacGregor ran the group through a how-to, explaining a few simple methods to chase those feelings away, no matter where one is or what is going on around them.

High on the list were things like exercise regularly, go for a walk, partake in pleasurable activities, do yoga, listen to music, take a hot bath, dance. There was also a relaxation exercise that started with visualization, moved on to deep breathing, and finally, a meditative state.

T/R/S! began in 2010, a collaboration of some two dozen local groups, organizations and agencies with a start-up grant and a shared vision of reading proficiency among young children by the end of grade three. The target group is families at Sullivan and Robinson Gardens Apartments, and their feeder elementary schools, Boland and Dorman. The four goals, known as ‘pillars’, of the program are parent engagement, parent education, child education and family self-sufficiency.

T/R/S! Program Coordinator Zenaida Burgos said she invited BHN to do the Stress Reduction class after hearing from parents that they sometimes feel overwhelmed and anxious, and wanted help with that. She said she could see during the session that it was working.

“The presenter was very detailed and very informative,” Burgos said. “All the participants said they enjoyed the workshop, and they learned new skills that they can practice at home. The want her back to do another workshop.”

Participants at the Stress Reduction session at Springfield Housing Authority’s Sullivan Apartments.

Indeed, participants left the session with smiles on their faces and promises to keep the good work going.

“It was great, very interesting,” said Yinette Serrano.

“I’m going to practice this at home with my kids. I love the way it made me feel. It will keep me relaxed and balanced,” said the mother of two young children.

Neighbor Michael Peralto agreed.

“I really liked it a lot. It was such a relaxing feeling. I’ll definitely be doing it at home. She showed us some great techniques for when you’re feeling all stressed out,” said the father of a two-year-old boy.