Megan Hutchinson
Staff Reporter
Being a high school student can be difficult. You are managing an entire world yet you are not quite an adult yet. You can drive, get a job, and can be given the freedom of an adult but you are not legally one yet. With new privileges and life experiences, comes stress. But how do you manage it in a healthy way?
While stress is a common thing it is important for students to manage that stress during the school year in order to maintain motivation, good grades, and mental health. If stress is not managed in a healthy way it can lead to anxiety and depression. According to Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor in psychology and healthline explain, “We know that anxiety and depression levels have gone up dramatically for both adults and children over the last year and a half, and stressors will only increase these numbers if they are not managed with coping tools and self-care, and possibly even professional care”.
During the recent years involving the COVID-19 pandemic, stress has been a common feeling for all of us. The feeling of the unknown, spending time in isolation and navigating a world full of mandates and rules.
One of the ways to manage stress easily is to simply just breathe deep. In between classes, lunches, and before and after school simply just take deep breaths and reset your mind. Another way to relieve stress is to participate in regular physical activity. Regular exercise and sports are an outlet to relieve stress. It redirects that built up anxiety and can improve your health at the same time.
Accepting how you feel is a large part of managing stress. That does not always mean to recognize when you are sad, anxious, lonely, etc. But to realize when you feel happy, excited, free, etc. Instead of developing coping skills, you should develop the ability to recognize, label, accept, validate, and involve yourself in how you feel. Along with recognizing how you feel, it is important to communicate to others about your emotions. Notifying teachers, parents, and even friends when you feel sad, anxious, or overwhelmed is important. Lastly, staying healthy mentally and physically are important. Without being mentally healthy it is difficult to be physically healthy.
Image Credit: Wix.com
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