Pretty much everyone experiences stress at some time or another, especially teens. It can be schoolwork, family expectations, friendships (yes) or maybe even feeling the pressure of social media.
It is vital to learn how to manage stress properly while also considering it as important for your mental and physical health.
In this guide, you will learn what stress is, how it affects your body and mind & I am going to give some of the reasonables tips on reducing it.
What Is Stress
Stress is your body’s way of responding to demands or challenges. It is the pressure you feel, a worry that builds while confronting complexities or handling multiple obligations.
It may be due to big stuff, such as exams or starting a new school; but equally it can be small things like arguments at home.
The most common types of stress are discussed below:
Positive Stress (Eustress): This form of stress drives you to perform at a higher level. Eustress is when stresses are considered job provided as benefits, like being excited about a big event on the near horizon.
Bad Stress (Distress) : This is the type of stress that feels overwhelming and makes you feel anxious or upset.
That zap can take away your energy and enthusiasm, cause even simple tasks to feel more challenging than they are and it digs into both your mood as well as performance.
How Stress Affects You
Stress impacts not only your mind but also in enumerable ways all over the body, being aware of those effects can help you manage stress better.
Physical Effects: Stress can show itself physically with, a headache or stomachache when you are on the edge. On top of that, you might be overwhelmed with fatigue or suffering from issues sleeping which may only exacerbate the level stress.
Stress-induced Effects: Emotional Consequences of Stress almost always include anxiety, depressed mood or irritability in the form. You might find it hard to relax, or do the things that you usually enjoy, so they can leave you feeling bogged down and emotionally exhausted.
Mental Effects: You may also find that you are easily distracted or have difficulty remembering. It might influence you in your studies and daily work so its adds stresses to everything.
Social Effects: It is no new news that stress can hamper your relationships. Your work may suffer and you might avoid family, feeling alone or misunderstood. It can become difficult to have healthy relationships and turn to others for support.
Tips for Managing Stress
What all this boils down to is stress management, i.e. how you can limit the effects of and deal with multiple sources of tension; including entirely avoiding them in some cases if possible(where practical). These are the effective ways,
1. Practice Deep Breathing: Yep, deep breathing is a simple way to calm down both mind and body. Practice this exercise : Sit/ lay down and get comfy Shut your eyes and take a slow deep breath in through your nose for the count of four.
Count to four as you hold your breath, then release slowly through the mouth for another count of four. Do this a few times to help you relax.
2. Stay Fit: Being active helps relieve stress as endorphins — the chemicals in your brain responsible for a happy mood, are released.
Walking, biking or dancing are good examples of stress reducing activities. Work towards 30 minutes of exercise, most days of the week.
3. Be Organized: If you know what to do, it makes the nothing easier and prevent your stress from taking OVER. For managing your assignments, activities and deadlines, make use of a planner/ calendar.
Another thing is that by breaking a task in small, possible steps can also make it less dreadful.
4. Talk: You are not alone – so share your emotional states with some like-minded person whom you trust, this in itself would make you feel backed up.
Whether you want to confide in a friend, family member or a school counselor — simply talking about what is eating at your conscience — can help relieve some of the internal struggle and open up dialogue around how best to cope given this set of circumstances.
5. Meditation: Meditation is one form of practice that aids in mental health. Methods like focusing on your breath, paying attention to things you can see, touch, hear etc., or using guided meditation apps are all beneficial.
6. Breaks: Break are extremely important to avoid burning out. Even if it is just a quick break off your schoolwork, doing something you enjoy, or sitting/laying alone helps recharge and help with managing stress.
7. Quality sleep is necessary to manage stress.: Get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. Follow a relaxing bedtime routine like reading or listening to soft music.
8. Eat Healthy: You are what you eat, keep your diet simple and be clean. A balanced diet of fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean proteins can assist the body to manage stress more effectively.
Instead, try not to have too much sugar or caffeine as they can trigger stress and leave you with the jitters.
9. Keep Your Goals Realistic: Set yourself up for success by setting achievable goals. So much for taking that bigger chunk, breaking it into smaller pieces, and rewarding yourself every step of the way.
Doing so serves to reaffirm your confidence and boost your motivation.
10. Take Time to Relaxation: Discoverout activities you like to do and involve yourself it them. Wharton has found that engaging in a hobby, like drawing or playing an instrument or listening to your favorite music, can be enough of a distraction outlet for stress.
11. Say No: Since you have gotten better at your time management instead of saying yes to everything. It is perfectly fine to say no if you are on the brink of tipping over. Do what matters most and do not be greedy along the way. (From a personal perspective)
12. Regain Professional Help: Never hesitate to regain professional help if things go out of your hand. So that they can help you with more support in coping effectively with stress.
Develop a plan for managing stress
Here are a few tips on coping with stress: A viable and well considered plan that includes managing your stress better Their plan should not miss the following steps:
1. Finding Triggers: Write down what stress you. Knowing what makes you stressed can help you handle it better
2. Identification of Coping Strategies: Select a few stress-management strategies that are most effective for you. Plan a way to introduce these strategies into your day-to-day life.
3.Goal Setting: Identify a set of short-term goals that you can easily manage. It could be scheduling your weekdays, it may include regular exercise or even here I would say sometime for relaxation.
4. Monitoring: Monitor how well your stress-management strategies are working. Revise your plan and get help if you need to.
Conclusion
The ability to handle stress is a fundamental trait for keeping you healthy overall.
You can help manage stress by practicing deep breathing, exercising, organizing your life pattern a bit more regularly and frequently discussing how you are feeling as well as taking care of both your mind and body.
It is important to remember that you should always reach out for help as well, and take care of your mental health. Implementing these strategies will help you combat stress, and balance your life in a more healthy way.