5 Ways of Coping with Stress and Anxiety in School
by Lily Smith
Stress and anxiety are bound to happen in anyone's life and while stress is the thing that keeps us working, high levels can cause negative mental and physical effects. Anxiety disorders can be caused by or exacerbated by stress so it's important to keep it under control.
There's tons of ways to help reduce stress but it seems that people only want to use them when the stress is too much to handle. It's much better to practice these things regularly to prevent having a meltdown. 6.8 million adults suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It is the most common mental illness in America. Here are steps to take to reduce anxiety and stress.
Step 1) Know your limits.
Often times people over work themselves. They think they can balance all their school work, extra credit work, family commitments, and still socialize afterwards. While some can manage this, some can't. Not being able to handle as much as someone else does not make you pathetic. It's just who you are. Especially students struggling with anxiety disorders have to know their limits. If you've had a long day of school followed by a sports practice or theater rehearsal, topped off with two hours of homework- it's okay to say no to friends. Some people are exhausted by socializing (introverts) and that's is absolutely fine. Likewise, if you're overwhelmed with school it's okay to take a mental health day. Catching up on sleep and taking a day to relax will lower your stress and help you do better in school. Writer Christine Morgan wisely says "“Setting boundaries is a way of caring for myself. It doesn't make me mean, selfish, or uncaring because I don't do things your way. I care about me too.” You should follow this philosophy.
Step 2) Manage your time.
Write down what assignments you have and when they're due, use this to plan your days, making sure you leave time for relaxing and taking care of yourself. If you're bad at managing time, see here to learn about apps that can help you stay organized and on track. Keeping an agenda or calendar for school can help you remember dates and assignments, making sure you don't schedule more than you can handle.
Step 3) Figure out what helps you lower your stress level.
Some people like to exercise and work all their stress out while some like to read. It's important to find out what's good for you. Slipping a bath bomb into a tub of hot water or just taking a simple hot shower are good ways to relax. It's important that you tailor a relaxation plan that's best suited for you. For example, I drink tea, listen to music, and draw to relax. Come home from school, do what you need to do, but take an hour to let yourself unwind.
Step 4) Yoga. Yeah this is optional but proven to help.
It's a way to get physical without exhausting your body. There's yoga to help with stress and anxiety.
Step 5) Remember the stress from school is temporary.
After a five day cycle of classes and tests and stress there is always two days off and an eventual break for holidays and summer. It's doable, you can get through it.
Think you may have a stress or anxiety disorder? Read about it here.
