The Colorado Safe Schools Summit kicked off its speaker series with a virtual event Friday as part of Colorado’s Safe Schools Month in October.

The Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) within the Department of Public Safety is hosting the speaker series, addressing key safety issues among Colorado students.

The annual CSSRC event was made virtual this year as a result of COVID-19. The speaker series will be held via Zoom for four consecutive Fridays, bringing lectures to professionals in education, mental health and law enforcement.

Friday’s speaker was Dr. Marc Schoen, assistant clinical professor at UCLA and author of “Your Survival Instinct is Killing You” and “When Relaxation is Hazardous to Your Health.”

In his 1.5-hour talk, Schoen discussed boosting performance under pressure.

Schoen talked about humanity’s origins using discomfort as a means to detect physical danger and how that has transformed modern humans in a negative way.

“We are the product of worriers. This is our wiring and it served us in the early days,” Schoen said. “But this fear reaction is now going off in conditions where there is no physical danger and, in a lot of folks, it’s going off way too much.”

Schoen said that COVID-19 has exasperated the inherent fearful and anxious qualities in humans.

Of the nearly 100 participants Friday, over 70% reported feeling more on edge and emotionally distressed during the pandemic.

Schoen guided the group through a meditation session and challenged them to embrace emotional discomfort by practicing things like public speaking, disclosing personal secrets and apologizing to others.

“Happiness is no longer the absence of discomfort,” Schoen said. “Happiness really is the ability to thrive in the presence of discomfort.”

The speaker series continues every Friday until Oct. 23 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

On Oct. 9, Dr. Jason Kilmer will discuss the prevention and implications of cannabis. On Oct. 16, podcast host Nick Thompson will discuss how to support today’s students. And on Oct. 23, Dr. Madelyn Gould will discuss suicide contagion among teens.

All of the Colorado Safe Schools Summit events are free and open to the public. People can register to attend virtually online. Space is limited.

Schoen’s Friday presentation will be available on the CSSRC’s website next week.