Writers : David Mills, Laverne Khoo, Aeyman Anwar, Delia Dumpangol
Stress is very commonly experienced by a lot of people, especially students as they may be dealing with pressure from school like academic stress or social stress. As a result, they start to feel really overwhelmed. There could be many factors contributing to their stress such as workload, bullying, exams, friends, peer pressure, pandemic, teachers, expectations from parents, etc. This is why mental health is important as it plays a significant role in student performance and their emotional well-being.
- Communication
Social contact is one of the most important ways of relieving stress. One of the ways to address this is to socialize and communicate with your friends. Establishing and nurturing positive relationships with family, friends, even teachers increases not only a sense of belonging but also increases a person’s self-esteem and boosts mental well-being, resulting in less stress especially when you talk to them about your troubles and worries. A short 10-minute chat with your friend(s) is enough to boost your executive function which aids your mental agility to solve certain problems, get rid of stress or simply relieve yourself. Finally, friends help you manage stress by providing fun, which acts as a distraction from the stress of academic work, etc.
- Exercise
Exercise is another method of releasing stress. Although it might seem contradictory, putting physical stress on your body through exercise or any simple movement can relieve mental stress. This exercise can be as light or as intense as you so wish. Going for a quick walk somewhere can relax the mind just as much as an hour long gym session. Additionally, it diverts your attention from the main concern, like homework and/or exams, and in many cases this quick relaxation can help clear your mind, thus putting you in a better position to deal with the stress. According to healthline.com “Exercise lowers your body’s stress hormones — such as cortisol — in the long run. It also helps release endorphins, which are chemicals that improve your mood”.
- Getting enough sleep
Another way of stress relaxation is by getting enough sleep. Sleep is one of the major problems for all teenagers throughout the world. Sleep is considered an important factor in our wellbeing and generally for the human body. As a teenager, sleeping is like giving fuel or food that keeps our brain and other parts of our body functioning properly. A lack of sleep can cause a lot of problems to your body. With less sleep, it can cause poor health such as sleep deprivation. Having this can cause a lot of issues such as stress and other poor mental health symptoms. As a teenager, especially from ages 15-16 who are preparing for their GCSEs, they should be getting about 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
- Practicing a balanced diet
You may not realize it, but your diet can either boost your brainpower or sap you of mental energy. A healthy diet can function as both a stress management technique and a study aid. Improving your diet can keep you from experiencing diet-related mood swings, light-headedness, and more.
A healthy diet consists of all foods required to provide the body with essential nutrition. This means a healthy amount of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins , water and minerals. You can begin improving your diet by reducing intake on processed foods with not much nutritional value like instant ramen and crisps.
