“Dear Ms. Coffman,

Recently, I have been feeling very stressed, with all the work at school and with my home life. Is there anything I can do to not be so stressed out all the time? (Possible prevention and/or treatment),”

Sincerely,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

This article talks about the brains reaction to stress that I think will you and possibly limit future issues. I hope this helps you not feel so overwhelmed.  For more information, besides the steps listed below, go to this link.

1.  Don’t over schedule yourself! Being involved in things is great, but not if it is causing you negative stress.
2. Do some progressive muscle relaxation exercises and deep breathing.  Look it up on youtube or ask you teacher to have me come to your class and lead everyone through it.  It not only helps you relax in the moment, but teaches you to be aware of how you are tensing your body through the day. Tensing your body can lead to headaches and shoulder/pack pain.  That’s stressful!
3.  Tackle assignments in pieces along the way instead of procrastinating and waiting until the last moment to get it done.  If you have 40 math problems to do, do 15 in class, another 15 in study hall and finish up the last 10 on the bus or the car ride home.  The same goes for reading.  A chapter here and there instead of 4 chapters on Sunday night at 10:00pm.
4. Clutter causes stress!!!  Clean out your car or clean up your room.  Some say your personal environment is a reflection of your inner being. You will actually feel more calm if your spaces are orderly.  Try it!  You might be surprised!
5. Spend some time star gazing, making snow angels, sledding, or playing board games with your friends and family.  We over look the simple things in life because we are too busy looking at our social media feed.  Put down the screen and do something fun in the real world with real people who are physically present with you!
6.  Stop equating the quality of your life or your self-worth with the number of likes you get on social media. Instead take your little sibling out for ice cream or eat dinner with your grandmother.  Those are the LIKES that really matter.  Social media likes are forgotten with the next 5 minutes of feed.
7.  BE GRATEFUL!  Studies show that people who are grateful for what they have in their life are happier than those who complain.  Complaining leads to stress…Gratitude leads to a peaceful heart.