Teachers and counselors at Maize South High School want to help students take a mental break from stress. Between worrying about grades, jobs, extra curricular activities, and the future, stress can add up leaving students feeling anxious and overwhelmed. 

The Mav-low's Calming Room opened its doors in February. It was once a simple testing room, and while it's still used for testing, the room has a whole new meaning. 

The room is now a safe haven for students struggling with anxiety, anger, and other emotions. It's complete with blankets and pillows, calming music, and dim lighting. Students can spend 15 to 20 minutes reflecting, coloring a picture, even throwing a few punches at a punching bag. 

Counselors say the point of the room is to teach students healthy ways to regulate big emotions and cope. 

"If we can be preventative and show them ways to cope before they have these big explosions of emotion, then they can be in a better place emotionally," said Maize South High School Counselor Lyndsey Brown.

Brown explains that when students take a mental break, they perform better in the classroom. 

"If students aren't getting what they need for eating or their emotional needs aren't met, then they aren't going to be successful and be working in their academic brain," said Brown.

The room is funded by a Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthy Habits for Life grant which provided the school with $1,000 for the completion of the project promoting mental health. 

Sophomore Nash Wofford says he's already visited the room several times since it opened in February. 

"When I get in here if I'm feeling anxious or on edge, it helps to calm my nerves," said Wofford. He says although he doesn't struggle with severe anxiety, taking a moment to close his eyes, pray, and think makes a big difference in the outcome of his day. 

"Talking with your counselors, praying, being alone, having time in a room, such as this, where you can just breath. You don't have to have responsibilities, you can just breath for 15-20 minutes," said Wofford. 

Counselors say the room can start a conversation about mental health between parents and students. 

"Engage your child in a conversation about it. Validating that it's okay if they're having those emotions."