Starting high school comes with a lot of stress. Adjusting to a new school, worrying about classes and one’s future, and balancing a new schedule can cause anybody to have a bit of anxiety.
While feeling stressed is not the best thing in the world, you are not alone.
A majority of high school students deal with stress at some point in those four years. In fact, a report published in Frontiers in Psychology noted that 49% of high school students deal with stress daily.
“I get very stressed towards the middle of the school year,” senior Hemen Besufekad said. “That is when teachers tend to assign big projects and due dates overlap.”
Although stress is common and perceived as normal nowadays, that does not mean that someone has to suffer and deal with it in silence.
Not dealing with stress brings a lot of problems such as depression, headaches, and stomach problems, and difficulty falling asleep. These diseases can negatively impact someone’s life rapidly.
There are many things a person can do to alleviate the high levels of stress that come with high school.
The best thing to do at times of stress is to find someone you trust and talk to them. If there is something on your mind that you can’t seem to figure out, that person can help you and make everything seem a lot better.
This person can be a friend, a parent, a sibling, and a teacher. You can also talk to the school pyschologist, Anne Brosnan, who’s office can be found near the cafeteria.
What matters is that you trust them and they help in making you feel better and do not add onto your stress.
If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone, then the next best thing to do is to keep a journal.
Buy a nice journal that is a calming color, like blue or purple. Keep it in your bag at all times.
Anytime you are feeling stress, write about your problems and anything you feel at the time.
After you are done, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
The easiest thing to do when you have a lot of stress is to do deep breathing. Breathe in through your nose and count to four. As you hold your breath, count to seven. Breath out from your mouth and count to eight, and repeat.
Doctors also say that a good way to relieve stress is by chewing gum. Multiple studies have backed up the theory that chewing gum has a positive impact on one’s well being.
Pick a flavor that you like and always keep a pack around so that you can chew it at anytime.
Placing physical stress on your body is a great way of relieving any sort of mental stress.
Exercise releases a lot of stress hormones. It will also improve sleep and boost self confidence.
You do not have to get a gym membership. Simply run a few laps around your neighborhood or do yoga in your room.
Changing your diet might also help. Fill up on foods with omega-3 fatty acids, like eggs and fish. Green tea with lemon is also helpful.
Fatty foods, like chips and soda, will only worsen your stress, and they have no health value.
A cause of your stress could be caffeine. Many people are sensitive to caffeine and they aren’t even aware of it.
This can cause symptoms such as anxiety and a rapid heartbeat.
Cut down on things like coffee, certain sodas, and chocolate in order to alleviate these symptoms.