The return of school marks the start of many things: football season, cooler weather, and stress for students. School can result in a lot of pressure between the rigorous course work, sports, and after school activities. Anxiety about upcoming tests and report cards is enough to keep anyone up at night. With all the things that you do, stress and anxiety should be one less thing to worry about.
What to do when you’re feeling stressed out:
- Talk to a friend or a family member about what is worrying you. Sometimes after saying a problem out loud, it does not seem as stressful anymore.
- Get some exercise! Running or any other physical activity helps release endorphins throughout your body that help make you feel better. Activities such as yoga and meditation are also helpful when trying to destress.
- Put on some relaxing music, close your eyes, and take deep breaths until you feel calmer.
- Try to laugh it off. Watch the funniest videos you can find and your laughter will release those endorphins that help make you feel better.
How to prevent stress:
- Take a hard look at your school schedule. Are you taking too many work intensive classes? Stop by your guidance counselor and ask for options.
- Look at all the extracurricular activities you do. Which ones do you truly have fun at and which activities do you only do so that you can put it on your college resume? Do not spend your precious free time on activities that do not make you happy.
- Sleep! Easier said than done. Creating a routine every night can help train your body to get some rest. Exercising during the day can also help you fall asleep faster.
- Stop procrastinating! Everyone in the world has done it from time to time, but do not make it a nightly occurrence! When getting home from school, have a short thirty minute break to have a healthy snack before starting your homework right away. By not procrastinating, you can split projects and papers into smaller parts and can do a little each day. Then, huge English papers seem a lot more doable.
- Talk to your parents! They see you every day and may have some suggestions on what to do to limit your stress.
Sometimes stress is unavoidable. Between homework, sports, extracurricular activities, exercising, and trying to get around eight hours of sleep, it is hard to find enough hours in the day to fit everything in. Remember, a little stress is healthy- it means you’re challenging yourself. But, if you ever feel too overwhelmed or paralyzed by stress, talk to a trusted adult and try to make changes so that you can avoid extreme amounts of stress in the future.
Make sure to check out https://teenhealthmatters.org/get-help-now/stress-management/ for resources on stress management.
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