Students at Pleasant Valley are pushed and encouraged to get involved in clubs, sports, music, AP classes and all the more to make them well-rounded and college ready. Many students appreciate and make use of all the opportunities offered, but some can’t help but feel the stress begin to creep in. As the year progresses, classes often get harder, and outside-of-school forces like employment or non-school sports teams can add even more pressure to students. Busy lives can be robotic, stressed ones or full, complete ones if the load is handled correctly. As Maureen Killoran says, “Stress is not what happens to us. It is our response to what happens. And response is something we can choose.” There are several useful strategies to help in keeping your cool while pursuing the successful, ambitious road in life.
An important first step is to give your body the care it needs. Eating healthier, staying hydrated, getting as much sleep as you can, and being clean are all ways that can help lighten the stress when it hits. Practicing positive thinking is another big tool. Often stress presents itself as fearful thoughts about failing or not being able to accomplish everything. Focusing on those negative thoughts can turn them into a reality; instead, think of a replacement catchphrase that builds up self-confidence.
Thinking in baby steps rather than the big picture is a useful method in getting things done. Baby steps are less daunting for the mind to tackle and makes the whole process go more smoothly. Another popular method to reduce stress are to-do lists; however, the whole thing backfires if you spend more time in making the list than actually accomplishing the items on it. A way to avoid this is to prioritize the tasks, put an estimated time by them, and do not procrastinate. As much as students like to wait until the last possible moment to do school-related work, it is actually producing more stress. Junior Kate Mickle, who gives lots of her time to swimming, supports this by saying, “I’ve learned it’s best to work ahead when you can to save yourself from stressing out later.” Utilize study halls or any spare moments and really work hard on improving those time management skills.
Relying on others for support is something all people need, but some people forget to do it. When feeling really stressed out, it can often be helpful to talk to friends, teachers, or parents about it and use their advice and words of encouragement. Remember, it is always okay to take a time out, even if only for a few seconds to collect yourself and keep from losing it.
Last but not least, set aside times for being a kid–having fun and laughs. Making memories with friends are natural remedies for stress and help to rejuvenate needed energy. It may be hard to find times to schedule hangout dates, but just as recovery days are important in sports, fun days are important for creating stress-free minds.
High school is the perfect time to learn stress strategies for when college hits and new worries about being an adult arise. Start by just picking out three you feel need the most work and see how much more relaxed the days begin to feel. Hannah Humes, senior, says, “I usually remind myself that I need to have fun while doing all my activities or it isn’t worth it to continue.” Work to be stronger than the stress; remember it is ultimately YOU who decides how much something will affect you.
