Hey everyone! It's been a busy school year for me so far. I'm a junior in high school and I've had to learn how to manage my time and eliminate stress that school, extracurriculars and other activities bring. I'm part of the International Baccalaureate program, and I am currently taking 8 IB classes. I'm also the leader of clubs; I am one of the officers of DECA and I am also the co-president of a human trafficking awareness club at my school. I am also a member of National Honor Society, IB Council, and an IB Leadership Group. I play recreational soccer and basketball with my friends, and I babysit and tutor kids to make money. I also like blogging obviously! My plate has been super full this year. A big change from my Sophomore year has been having 8 classes at a time instead of 4 or 5, that would change after one semester. 

Here are some of my tips for eliminating stress if you are in high school! 

First off, make a list of all the activities you have going on in your life and prioritize them. When prioritizing, think about what activities and aspects of your life are most important to you. If you have a lot of things going on in your life, than most likely cutting down will decrease stress. Figure out which things on your list aren't as important as others or are causing you this stress and cut back! I quit my job in September because I had too many things going on and not enough time for them all. I would leave school at 2:15, go to work at 4 and then come home as late as 10. Then I would start all my homework and studying. I also had certain days that I couldn't work because of clubs or sports. I decided to quit my job because it took up way too much time and wasn't as important to me as school and clubs. Lucky for me, I didn't need the money and I quit early enough that I my job never got too much in the way of my school work. Once I quit my job, a lot of time opened up for other things that I wanted to do.

Another tip I have for decreasing stress is to exercise. It's scientifically proven that your brain releases endorphins (think of it like happy hormones) while you exercise that make you feel calmer and happier. If you aren't a sporty kind of person, than try yoga. There are many different types of yoga, yoga that deals with more breathing exercises and yoga that is more focused on flexibility and strength. You also don't have to go to a studio to do yoga, you can just do it in your house and follow a video on YouTube. My favorite channel to watch for yoga is YogaWithAdrienne. 

This next tip goes along with exercising and it is to eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and spend time outside. Eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables can put you in a better mood than eating unhealthy foods like chocolate or fries. Healthy food will give you energy and will overall make you feel more positive. Also, drinking a lot of water can reduce stress. It clears your mind and can have a restorative effect. It helps you to think more clearly and gives you energy. Spending time outside, whether it's reading a book or taking a walk will also clear your mind and is better for your overall well-being. It can definitely help if you are feeling overwhelmed of anxious about school or anything else you have going on.

Something that I struggle with is turning off screens. Everyone can get wrapped up in their technology at times and it's important that we power off. Reading is a great way to get your mind off of things and feel less stressed. If you are feeling overwhelmed, checking out a book at your local library that interests you and reading it.

My last and most important tip is to take time for yourself. Relax and spend time doing things you enjoy. Maybe make your room nice and cozy and listen to music or create a peaceful playlist. I make my room feel cozier by turning on fairy twinkle lights and throwing a bunch of blankets on my bed. You can also get a fireplace app on your laptop that will set the screensaver to a fireplace. You can also change the settings to make it crackle and sound like a really fireplace. I also write in a journal to feel less stressed. I constantly juggle things around in my head so putting my thoughts to paper makes my head feel clearer.

Those are my tips and tricks on how to feel less overwhelmed and stressed about high school and life in general. I hope you found this post useful!

Thanks for reading!
Thea
xx