Homework, sports, projects, waking up early, not enough time, and pressure to do good are all factors that lead to high school students becoming stressed out. Everyone says that high school is supposed to be one of the most fun times of your life, but according to a study, young adults are the most stressed people in America.

Stress in teens can lead to many health problems later in life including, depression, heart disease, higher risk of strokes and anxiety. Although it may seem difficult at first, there are many ways to rid stress and find peace.

The first step to a less stressful life is identifying the thing that makes you stressed. By recognizing the source of your tension you are able to know what to do to fix it. There are many simple things that have the power make you feel relaxed. One thing to do to destress is  exercising, junior Nick Murphy says, “After a long day at school, playing sports really takes my mind off of the stressful school day.”

When exercising, the body releases hormones called endorphins. These bodily chemicals improve someone’s mood and can lower blood pressure and can even strengthen your heart muscle. Even an exercise as simple as going for a walk has been proven to reduce stress.

Yoga is one of the most common forms of stress relief. Linking the body and mind through breathing can clear the mind of everyday worries and responsibilities.

Meditation is a practice that has been done for thousands of years and is shown to have many benefits including relaxation, inner reflection, and stress reduction. Stress can be more than just thoughts in you mind, it can be shown through physical parts of the body.

Common areas that become sore when stressed is the back and neck. By doing yoga  poses while having the breath linked your body is able to stretch and cure the pain while also relaxing your thoughts. “I’ve never really tried to meditate before but I would definitely try it,” said junior Sophie Waszkelewicz. “My most stressful class is AP chemistry so yoga might really help me.”

As a frequent yoga goer, I can definitely feel the difference in my mood, body and thoughts as I leave the studio. Although this practice can be very disciplinary, it can change a person in so many ways, leading to a less stressful lifestyle.

Finding comfort from a friend or a pet can also be very beneficial to relieving stress. “When I have a lot of homework and feel really overwhelmed I usually FaceTime a friend for a while; it just calms me down to talk to someone and helps me organize my thoughts and what I need to accomplish,” Sophie stated.

When with a friend your body feels more comfortable which makes the body decrease the stress hormone called cortisol. Pets like cats or dogs can be very good stress relievers because when an animal is played with or pet, a stress reducing chemical called oxytocin is released.

Organization is another key factor to having a less stressful life. When your room or desk is cluttered with a bunch of items and papers it is quite chaotic when trying to find things that you need. By organizing your workspace, backpack and making a list of what you have to do can all be very beneficial and make you more on task my knowing where everything is and knowing what you have to do. A possible source of Nick’s stress could be from disorganization. “My binder is pretty messy and my desk at home is definitely cluttered with a bunch of stuff.” By making a list you can visualize your upcoming tasks and it motivates you to work to cross things off the list.  

When feeling stressed there are many simple things that you can do to relieve tension, many of them being quick, easy and even fun. Meditation, exercise and organization just being a few of the ways to lead you to a less stressful lifestyle.