This time of year, for many of us, is extremely tiring and stressful. I totally get it. From school, to work, to extracurricular programs, I think it’s safe to say that we are busier than any bee out there. With that English midterm next week, and that math unit test tomorrow, and that huge chemistry lab that’s worth half your entire grade, no one is blaming you if you’re stressed out. But guess what? We’re all in this together! And I’m going to give you some tips that’ll hopefully help you cope with that all that stress buildup, because after all, stress isn’t exactly the best feeling to have…
1.Exercise!
A human body is designed to move around, not sit down for twenty four hours a day seven days a week. Exercise is not only a good stress relieving practice, it also improves your overall physical health. Exercising will keep your heart healthy, which, as the literal HEART of your body, is very important to maintain. Sometimes we don’t exercise because we’re lazy, but let me assure you, exercise is always worth it. Even if you’re just going out for a five minute jog; that’s better than nothing! It’s also never too early to start developing healthy habits. Exercise is proven to release endorphins, which are technically “happy hormones”; this means that exercise will release certain signals to your body to feel happier. These hormones are proven to combat the negative effects that stress puts on your mind. Not only does exercise relieve mental stress, it can relieve physical stress too. Exercising can relax tense muscles and tissue, thus relieving stress related aches in commonly victimized areas such as the back and the neck. My personal favourite types of exercise include, running, dancing, and swimming! Whenever you do have time, find some of your favourite exercises to do, and go do them! It will surely benefit you!
2. Meditation!
Although this may sound slightly different, meditation really does help ease stress because it calms you down. Even meditating for a few minutes per day is proven to help ease anxiety. Sitting down by yourself, breathing deeply, forgetting about everything around you, and transmitting purely positive thoughts to your brain for a few minutes every day will ease your stress levels and improve your overall resilience to stress! Another benefit of meditating is that it’s easy to do; everyone can do it, including YOU!
3. Reading/Writing/Watching TV
Although this option doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone, I find that it really helps to get my mind off of what I’m stressed about for a period of time. Reading is like a temporary escape from reality. You can just imagine yourself to be the character in the book and forget about the stress you’re currently facing. I enjoy writing because it helps me get my thoughts out on paper. Containing all your stress in your body might just be exacerbating it. And if you don’t feel like talking to other people about it, writing about it is the best way to get it all out! Watching TV is fits into a similar category with reading. When you’re watching TV you can just forget about the outside world and temporarily immerse yourself into a television show of your favourite genre, and that’s a great relaxation. I mean, who doesn’t love Netflix?
4. Socializing!
Yes, studying is important, and yes homework is important. But you can’t be completely isolated from the outside world FOREVER. Once in a while, when you have spare time, it’s important to find some friends and just go chill. Joking around and laughing with your good friends really gets your mind off of all the stress.
Stress sucks! And trust me, I know exactly how you feel. I get stressed all the time over my schoolwork and outside of school commitments. But I have found these stress relieving techniques to really work for me. Whenever you have time, maybe try one of these stress relieving strategies, or find your own stress relieving technique to temporarily get your mind off of all the craziness! Relieving your stress will improve your overall performance and overall well-being.
You got this!
