About Stress Zero global

History:

Stress Zero was originally founded in 2017 as a school club at Shanghai American School Pudong. The club was created to alleviate stress at the school through fun activities and educational events. Throughout the past four years, the club has hosted numerous events, including a Mental Health Week, Appreciation Day, and more. The club has found resounding success, creating a substantial impact among the SASPD student population.

Stress Zero Global is the international extension of Stress Zero. It was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. In the spring semester of 2020, the novel coronavirus blanketed the world in darkness and millions of students around the world were confined to their bedrooms and computer screens as they struggled to keep up with the rigors of school under the draining conditions of lockdowns/quarantines. Inspired by our experience and motivated to help students across the world, a group of students at Shanghai American School Pudong (SASPD) came together in the 2020-2021 school year to realize this organization.

The organization seeks to improve student mental health around the world through a four pronged approach: spreading awareness, sharing solutions, hosting discussions, and exporting the Stress Zero club model.

Our Mission:

The mission statement of Stress Zero is Consequi Statera – achieve balance. As schools become increasingly performance-oriented (GPAs, test scores, extracurriculars, sports, and more), such balance is difficult to achieve. In recent years, already high stress levels were further exacerbated by COVID19 and the subsequent drastic upset of normalcy. The consequence of the resulting disequilibrium? A widespread increase in the prevalence of suicide, depression, anxiety, and other mental health related problems. Stress Zero Global seeks to alleviate the ongoing global stress pandemic among both middle and high school students by pioneering effective, informed measures of reducing stress among students. We seek to operate on an international scale by developing an active social media presence, hosting international events, and expanding our chapter club program.

Approach:

From the above mission, Stress Zero has developed two primary approaches to addressing rising stress levels around the world: relaxation and education. The first approach, relaxation, is a temporary yet effective fix; through our various chapter clubs, we plan entertaining and leisurely events around the world that’ll help directly alleviate stress, and create community bonds. These include movie days, Youth Culture Month, snacks, games, mindfulness activities and more.

The second approach, education, is a long-term solution. We seek to provide students with the facts of stress, and present them scientific and effective management methods. We hope such skills will help students maintain mental equilibrium throughout their entire lives by providing them with valuable insight on stress. This will be accomplished through educational events/initiatives and publications on our social media platforms.

Note: To ensure quality, we have a certified psychologist (Mr. Holdsworth at Shanghai American School PD) double check all publications on the website and our social media platforms.

Limitations:

As with any organization, there are some limitations to the operations of Stress Zero Global. Below are some of the things Stress Zero Global Team members and Chapter Clubs are not responsible for, and should not engage in:

Stress Zero is not a mental health crisis service. As such, we do not directly counsel anyone in distress or in unstable mental circumstances. Such individuals that seek help from Stress Zero Global will be redirected to official counseling centers or certified experts – e.g. LifeLine Shanghai, or Shanghai Community Center.
Stress Zero does not prescribe official medical advice related to mental health conditions or disorders to any individuals. We may provide general advice to the general public, but since we are not certified psychiatrists or doctors, we cannot give medical recommendations to individuals.