1. Cognitive Regulation

2. Week One:
Put a dot on week one of the graph to show your level of stress this week on a scale to 10.

3. Now, make a list:
What has been on your mind frequently that has been causing you stress? Make a list of the topics you can’t push aside that relate to school, extracurriculars, or time outside of school.
Mrs. Nagel’s list:
My publication article, my thesis research, my husband’s job offer, my grandmother on life support, my uncle who lost his mother three weeks ago, my students’ success, my sick husband, bills and loans, seeing my friends enough, grading essays, planning for next semester, planning a baby shower, what I am doing for Halloween, my dog’s hurt hip, my super unclean house, buying a new car, eating enough, not drinking coffee, getting fingerprints done, getting an examination done,my thesis...my thesis...my thesis...my thesis...

4. Now, strikethrough the things you can’t change
Remember, change the things we can, and come to accept the rest:
Mrs. Nagel’s list:
My publication article, my thesis research, my husband’s job offer, my grandmother on life support, my uncle who lost his mother three weeks ago, my students’ success, my sick husband, bills and loans, seeing my friends enough, grading essays, planning for next semester, planning a baby shower, what I am doing for Halloween, my dog’s hurt hip, my super unclean house, buying a new car, eating enough, not drinking coffee, getting fingerprints done, getting an examination done,my thesis...my thesis...my thesis...my thesis...

5. Now plan…
For my publication article, I can make a plan to help alleviate stress:
I can look at calls for submission, and find an article (hint, I did this yesterday)
I can begin to organize my research and validate sources. (hint, I did this yesterday)
I can begin to conduct practitioner research and speculate findings (hint, I did this today)
For my bills and loans, I can create a budget that helps me alleviate stress in other areas (buying a car, planning a baby shower, seeing my friends enough, not drinking coffee). (Hint, I have already done this, so it really is a strikethrough!)

6. Refer back to this throughout the week, adding to your list as you need to, striking through as you need to, and planning as you need to. Next Friday, we will update our graph and create a new list.

7. Academic Cognitive Regulation
Now, let’s apply this style of thinking to our academics:
On the opposite side of your graph and list, turn to the teaching task. This is a cognitive regulation technique we can use for our school assignments in order to help us evaluate what we are asked to do and plan for it accordingly.
“ How does intersectionality influence the American Dream? After reading “A Raisin in the Sun”, write a reflective response in which you analyze your own intersectionality, individuals with varied intersectionality, and the intersectionality of the characters in the play and argue how intersectionality influences the attainability of the American Dream. “

8. Let’s start with our verbs and our nouns:
Do (Verb)? What (Noun)
-Read -“A Raisin in the Sun”
-Write -

9. Now, let’s write “I Can” statements to help us organize what we will need to do in order to accomplish the tasks outlined in the “Do/What” chart.
I can read the play critically to find…
I can…

10. Notecard
On the notecard, write what your stress level was on the notecard for this week.
Did this activity help you feel more confident about organizing your thoughts regarding personal goals and academic goals?
Below the number you put on the graph, update whether this helped lower your stress in the moment. For example, my notecard would look like…
I was at a 7 on my graph. Walking through the cognitive regulation process brought me down to a 5 and helped me feel in control.