Stress is a common thing that can be found everywhere, however, are we finding proper ways to deal with it?
Stress can be caused by many things, homework, jobs, grades, or just overall social situations. In any case, high school may be a very stressful time for people. There are so many things that people think they need to worry about, and most of the time they seem to overthink it. So no matter the issue that causes students stress, how are they dealing with it?
“I get really stressed over a lot of things. Sometimes it’s just small things that I shouldn’t worry about, but I still do it,” said sophomore Mackenzie Bedell.
Some might consider doing sports, joining clubs, taking up art, or maybe just listening to music. But for those who don’t turn to those options, what should they do? There are many different options that some might have never considered.
“I sometimes join clubs not just because I’m interested it the topic, but sometimes just to get my mind off of certain things,” said sophomore Erin Pfaff
Consider some options such as these:
- Chew some gum. By doing this you focus more on your current action, rather than whatever it is that’s causing you to be stressed.
- Writing it all down. Now, keeping a journal might not be an option that everyone considers, but it helps to focus your thoughts and emotions.
- Try lowering your caffeine intake. Caffeine naturally increases anxiety and stress levels, so if you’re a huge coffee drinker but you’re super stressed, try cutting back on the coffee.
- Just breathing. Or perhaps doing some type of meditation if desired. By taking a small moment to take a deep breath, it causes your relaxation response to kick in and therefore, it reduces your stress.
“I feel like some of that could just be common sense, but people don’t really pay attention to it,” said sophomore Taylor Skar.
There are many common techniques that people use to help relieve stress. However, there are many techniques that actually make it worse. If you look at anything close enough, there is always some sort of a negative effect, so by saying that certain daily habits are actually bad for you, doesn’t change much. But by saying this, may it actually make some change their habits?
“There’s always a negative effect to something, no matter what it is, there’s always something bad about it,” said Social Studies teacher Michael Shepard.
Some examples of those stressful habits include some of the following:
Drinking too much coffee. Coffee increases your stress hormones, so by drinking even just one cup of coffee, you’re only stressing yourself out even more.
Eating too much or not enough. This may be an option that some people consider, but it is a very unhealthy one. By not maintaining your regular sugar levels, it causes the body to either gain excessive weight, or go into fatigue, depending on the situation.
Overworking. Now working on something would help focus one’s mind on something else for a short period of time, but it also just adds on the stress later on. All it leads to is tiring your body out, and perhaps headaches or soreness later on.
Social withdrawal, or just not dealing with what’s causing the stress. Having other people around is always a good thing, despite what some may think. The people that surround us are a main reason for why we are the way we are. They relax us more than avoiding the subject ever would.
“I read a different story on the Paw Print that said coffee helped increase stress amounts, and I’ve been drinking less coffee because of that. I’m still stressed, but I think it kind of helps,” said Skar.
In many cases, if one were to look closely at someone who has depression, they might realize that stress plays into just as well as anything else. Stress is not good for anyone, if there is no action to relieve that stress, it can easily cause someone to become depressed if it’s severe enough. So to all who care deeply for their friends, make sure that are having a good day. If not, then do anything and everything to make their day better.
“Stress is so stressful,” said Pfaff.
