Stress. It isn’t fun, and it isn’t easy to deal with. Stress tends to harbor within the lives of teenagers. As it feasts on the ever-present frustrations of high school, stress levels multiply and continue to pester individuals until the point of breaking. Stress isn’t a pretty sight, yet learning how to deal with it is vital to success in high school.
Friday night, and instead of spending the night having a movie marathon with pizza and candy galore, you are sitting in your room. Surrounded by textbooks, worksheets and assignments, your weekend is looking more drab than fab. As your stress level rises, so does your frustration.
Although a normal amount of stress in your day-to-day life will cause you no harm, the more you stress, the more you suffer. Combining the stress of keeping up with school, juggling a job, as well as the overwhelming want of a social life can lead any high school student to feel at the point of breaking.
Stress is a difficult feeling to handle, and too much can drive a person ‘crazy’. In some cases, students can become stressed to the point of having a breakdown, panic attack, or even suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Stress can be scary, so know how to handle it. There are some simple ways to deal with the overwhelming emotions:

1. When you begin to feel overwhelmed from school or work, take a break.

2. Getting outside and taking a walk will allow you to clear your head, helping you to refocus without feeling absolutely defeated.

3. Try counting backwards from 100. Focus on counting, and push the stressful thoughts from your mind. If necessary, start at 200.

4. Take a few seconds out of your day to walk into the counselor’s office and schedule an appointment. The counselors are there to help you with your problems, and they can help you make a plan to keep your stress level down while accomplishing your work.

Although stress is, well, stressful, knowing how to handle it in a way that works for you will keep you sane, as well as safe, during the school year.