April has many appreciation days, but April is also stress awareness month. As a student, life can be very stressful trying to manage school, sports, family, friends, and work. It can get majorly stressful when you enter your junior and senior year because you are trying to decide what you’re going to do with your life and where you’re going to go to college.
As a junior myself, it can be hard managing my stress because when I get stressed it takes over my whole mind and body. One thing that can help is finding techniques that can help you destress.
The CDC notes that stress can affect your sleep quantity and quality, impact your mood, affect your body, and even impact your cognitive function. Students need to find techniques that work for them, and different techniques work for different people. Some techniques you can use are things like hanging out with friends, listening to music, seeking guidance, and resting your body. These things can help you destress if you’re feeling stressed about anything.
Though it is important to be informed about the world, sometimes we need to take breaks from social media or news. The CDC recommends spending some time exercising or out in nature can help. Hobbies and friendships also help add balance to your day. For exercise, we have nearby gyms like Phase3 and the YMCA, but if budget is an issue, we have walking greenways and hiking trails. There are also running groups that you can join at Fleet Feet. If you want an active hobby, maybe consider disc golf or pickleball. If you’re looking for a new indoors or solo hobby, maybe look on Youtube. There are tutorials for everything from baking to origami. There are also local special interest groups that you can join and events you can attend.
Harvard Edu also recommends that you learn positive time management skills to help prevent or manage stress. Schedules, calendars, reminders, and prioritizing can help. Also, buy a planner and “chunk” your to-do list into manageable phases can also lessen stress.
It’s important to remember that life can be stressful sometimes, but it’s the way you handle it that can make it better or worse. So if you’re ever feeling stressed, just take a breath and refocus.
