First semester is coming to an end, and stress is practically radiating off of students as finals are taking place. However, even after finals are over, it’s likely that the feeling will stay with us. It’s often difficult to keep your stress down, but knowing small tactics that keep you relaxed can make a big difference.
Here are five steps that help keep me healthy mentally and physically:
Starting your day off right
While waking up in the morning can be one of the most dreadful tasks, rolling out of your bed is a process that can define the entirety of your day. Even though you may be more concerned with getting those extra ten minutes of sleep, developing a morning routine can make for a relaxing start to your day.
If you’re one of those people who can’t help but snooze your alarm when it goes off, try setting it for an earlier time, that way you’ll still be able to hit the snooze button. Once you’re up, try to do your morning steps in a specific order.
Also, while your appetite may not be a problem in the morning, always do your best to get something in your system. You’re going to need the booster if you want to stay completely focused and awake during school.
According to the app Headspace, having a morning routine can be a simple way to help lessen your stress. Once you repeat your routine enough times, it’ll become second nature. How does this relieve stress? Simple. Once something becomes constant in your everyday routine, doing these tasks will become easy to accomplish.
Hydrating
It’s so cliché for me to tell you to drink eight cups of water a day, but it’s essential. Even if you can’t bring yourself to have the full eight cups, drinking water as much as possible will help you feel better and more awake. As stated by WebMD, staying hydrated can contribute to relieving your stress as all your organs depend on water to function. Your body won’t run well if you’re not hydrated, which would eventually lead to stress.
Don’t like drinking water due to its lack of taste? It wouldn’t hurt to add in some strawberries, lemons, cucumbers, or any fruit to make your water more tasteful. Personally, I prefer to add strawberries to my water, as it adds a little bit of a sweeter taste.
Plan ahead of time
While everyday may be different for you, it wouldn’t hurt to set daily goals. Even just listing a few routine things that you do everyday can help. When you have a set list of things you want to get done every day, it’ll feel nice when you’ve accomplished them. Plus, when you’re motivated by a daily goals to accomplish, you’ll be a little less likely to procrastinate.
Trust me, I know how fulfilling it is to get things done before the end of the day. Being able to go to bed with an empty plate will most definitely release some of that stress you’re feeling.
Get enough sleep
As high school students, we all know the struggle of getting sleep. There’s no denying that we all need sleep to be able to function correctly the next day. Instead of pushing your homework off until late in the night, try getting it done when you first have the chance.
Even if you do manage to get your homework done in a timely manner, our phones can be very distracting. While watching Netflix or scrolling through Instagram may seem like a more entertaining idea before going to sleep, you know you’re going to regret it when you have to get out of bed the next morning.
Do your best to set a time every day in which you decide to call it a night. Plug your phone in at a reasonable hour, your mind needs the rest. Your brain depends on getting enough sleep every night in order to “reset” itself. Remember your brain is the powerhouse of your whole being, if that’s not functioning well, how could you?
As mentioned by Nuvanna, sleep is essential for good health. Being completely rested every morning will contribute to an alert mind and emotional balance. Sleep also contributes to maintaining your cortisol levels, which is your primary stress hormone.
Take time for yourself
Oftentimes, we find ourselves so consumed with our school work, studying or after school activities that we can never seem to catch a break. However, it’s essential that you find time to relax your mind and take a mental break, even if it’s just for a half hour.
It’s okay to push yourself in all your school related activities, after all, persevering is one thing our teachers hope for us to do. What you don’t want to do is strain your mind. With whatever free time you have, make sure to take a pause, as it’ll be in your best interest.
Everyone has their own ways to handle their stress. Whether it’s making your daily routine a little more organized or taking time to relax your mind, the possibilities are endless. While I don’t expect you to use each of my tactics, I hope that they help give you an idea of ways in which you would handle your stress.
