Teenagers deal with a lot of stress, despite the young age. Whether it be keeping up with good grades, playing in sports or any extracurricular activities, having to keep up with all of these activities can cause some serious stress. Here are some ways that students relieve their stress.

1. “Mindful Mondays”

There is a club available on campus for students to handle their stress called “Mindful Mondays.” This club was started by Mrs. Dominguez and Mrs. Guzman to help students when they feel tense. They have activities such  making stress balls with a balloon and flour.

2. Coloring  

One thing that I like to do is to color. Coloring allows me to just relax and focus on what I’m coloring, forgetting about whatever is stressing me out. It also helps to color what you enjoy, for example, if you like nature, find coloring books with different pictures of the ocean or a forest. Also, I have a coloring app on my phone called “Happy Color” and it has different pictures that fit in categories such as Nature, Animals, Places, Marine, Food, and Fashion.

3. Sitting Outside

Another thing that I do is to simply sit outside and enjoy the world around me. I usually sit outside for about 15-20 minutes. Doing this helps me get some fresh air and feel refreshed when I have to go back to do what I have to do.

4. Crying

When asked, multiple students say that the way they relieve stress is by crying. They say that they feel better after having held that tension in their head and crying releases it. They also say that crying lifts a lot of weight off of their chest and it also releases stress hormones. Stress hormones help your body deal with stressful situations. Crying can be an “emotional release” with any negative feelings and frustration.

5. Reading

Sra. Sales, a foreign language teacher, shares that when she is dealing with difficult situations, she usually likes to read. She says that it helps her forget about what is actually stressful. Reading lowers your heart rate and releases tension within the muscles of your body.

6. Drawing

One student, Amely Serrano, says that she usually likes to draw. She says that it just helps her feel relaxed and makes her feel better when she has to return to her previous task.

7. Relaxing and Doing Nothing

Multiple students say that, when they feel pressured, they like to sit in their room and just stare at the wall. This task allows them to take their mind off of the situation and just clear their head. They normally do this while listening to music because the music helps them “escape the real world and enter a world of their own.” They say to sit and listen to music for around 30 minutes to 1 hour.