Managing Mental Stress
As the busy 2020-21 school year comes to a close, everyone’s ready for a relaxing summer vacation. Especially after the stressful AP Exams and big end-of-year projects, summer feels like a well-deserved break. However, the big change in mental stress between May and June can cause some negative feelings, such as not being productive enough. To alleviate these issues, it’s important to practice mental self-care throughout the school year. We have to remember to occasionally take breaks from the overwhelming pressure, and to take a few moments out of our day to take deep breaths and clear our minds.
One of the ways many students like to reflect on their day is through meditation. It is a great way to calm the brain and feel relaxed after a stressful or tense day. Additionally, there have been studies conducted that show meditation helps to sleep better. Not only is sleep very important for our brains to process the information that was taken in throughout the day, but it also helps with our mental health. Some people who do not get a good night’s sleep will often say that they feel more anxious or annoyed during the day. Meditation is the perfect daily exercise for those who are very stressed from school work. There are many amazing resources online for beginners, so there’s no need to worry about not knowing what to do. Many of the guided meditations on Youtube or Spotify are only a quick 10 minutes; you can continue with your day with little to no interruption to your busy schedule!
Exercise is another important part of alleviating stress and staying healthy. Especially for the students who opted to stay at home this semester, we have to remember to keep our bodies in shape. Physical exercise has been shown to improve moods and reduce the mental toll of stress. This is because it stimulates the brain’s production of endorphins, or hormones that make us feel better. While exercising, don’t forget to also drink plenty of water!
Both meditation and exercise should be added into every busy high school schedule, to boost moods, improve concentration and productivity, and relieve stress. Amidst studying for finals and AP exams, we can’t forget to take care of our bodies and mental health as well!
