As a normal teen in a world where everything is go, go, go and not go, take a break and go again because life can get stressful. Sometimes it's so overwhelming that I feel like I can't breathe, and I struggle for a single breath. The pressure of starting my first year of high school this year has been harder than I imagined. I feel the pressure and the expectations to do better and better every time I take a test or write an essay.
Sometimes, it's just too much.
I know there are a lot of people in the world that understand what I feel, but some people may not know how to deal with it. They may let it consume them, living in a ball of stress. I have learned a lot of things from my life experiences, and some of those things are about how to deal with stress. Not everything works for everyone. There could be certain things that work like a charm on someone and not make a dent in someone else.
Here are five ways I have found that can relieve and help deal with stress:
1. Listen to music
For the past couple years, when I had a free moment, I would pop in my headphones and listen to music. Music is a big part of my life, even though I don't sing or play instruments. The one thing I find helpful about music is that it can easily take your mind off of something easily. It makes you live in a completely different world than the one that made you stressful. Listening to the lyrics of a specific song can also be very uplifting, depending on the song. I pay attention to all of my songs' lyrics, and they create a story, or they can even give advice to the person listening to them. Music lights me to a happy place that I just cannot describe.
2. Be flexible
This isn't something that comes easily to a lot of people, myself included. I have always stuck with a minute to minute routine in the morning to get ready for school. If it got messed up in any way, I would get overwhelmed and stressed out that I may not finish everything on time, or I might not have time to do a part of my routine. Doing something over and over can easily stress that person. I know this from experience, but I am planning to change it up and try something new. Others can do that as well. It can be the smallest thing, like instead waiting until the last minute to do homework or to finish up work, do it right when you get home. You won't have to worry about it at the last minute.
3. Exercise
A lot of people may be surprised to hear this, but working out or exercising can relieve stress in the snap of a finger. I personally don't enjoy physical activity, but I have recently tried a karate class which I found very relieving and surprisingly fun. Exercise can help relieve anger, which is something I realized is very helpful. With all of the drama at school, all of the homework that my teachers give us and stuff that happens in the family, stress can easily turn into anger. Hitting a punching bag has really helped me in a lot of situations, or even something just as simple as running or jogging could relieve stress.
4. Talk about it
Someone can only last a certain amount of time before they explode if they keep their emotions bottled up inside them. It is mentally unhealthy to keep emotions inside without talking about it. I am not someone that likes to talk about their emotions a lot, so this brings me a lot of stress. Lately, I have been consciously trying to talk more, rather than keeping everything to myself. It feels good when you let everything flow out of you after keeping everything in for so long. Without talking about it, you could explode into a complete ball of stress. Talking about your emotions also brings the person you tell it to closer to you.
5. Write about it
If you know what is making you stressed, putting it down on paper isn't that bad of an idea. Writing down your emotions or why you are stressed can take that all away. It's like putting it on paper is removing from your head. If one of those emotions is anger, when you're done writing, crumple up the paper, or throw it away. I get a sense of relief when I put it down on paper. This can also be a mechanism of relieving stress for people that don't talk about their emotions or stress to other people.
Learning how to deal with stress, and actually trying to do it are two completely different things. Acting on it may be easier than you realize.
