Tips On Managing Stress With Grace (Girl Talk Ambassador)
To my fellow Girl Talk friends – I am here for you.
Being a teen in today’s society can be really tricky. We feel the need to satisfy everyone’s expectations and have an immense amount of pressure to be perfect. These feelings can cause a lot of stress, on our minds and on our bodies. I have a few simple tricks that help me when I find myself struggling.
The first, and perhaps most important is to put yourself first! I find myself getting caught up in trying to please everyone around me and the simple truth is, I can’t. In order to live to your full potential, you have to make yourself proud. As a very involved junior in high school, I usually have too much on my plate every day. There are days that I am able to accomplish everything that I intended to, there are others (and probably more) that I end up falling short. Instead of beating myself up about what I didn’t get done and who I didn’t please, I just add the remaining tasks to the next day and try to start there.
The second tip I have is to get organized! When I am feeling overwhelmed, I tend to lose my organizational quality; my room gets cluttered, my binders fall apart and I forget to do simple everyday tasks. So, when I feel the stress beginning, I make sure to prioritize cleaning my room, finishing my homework, and setting reminders on my phone. While I love the calendar feature on my phone, I still like the old fashioned pen and paper lists so my tasks are right in front of me. Color coding seems to help and it brings a sense of accomplishment to see items crossed off.
Next, staying hydrated and healthy is very important! Sometimes as teenagers, we get so busy that we forget to eat and drink enough water. Both have proven health benefits and can help in times of stress. Personally, I like to make smoothies when I am stressed because they provide nutrition but aren’t too heavy. My favorite kind of smoothie is peach vanilla! I also try to drink at least 60 ounces of water per day which helps keep my body hydrated so I don’t get sick.
The final tip I have is to focus on something that brings you peace. Instilling a sense of calm throughout your day can help keep your mind at ease. For me, this is dance. When I am dancing I can shut everything else out and pause the world around me. I am able to quiet the noise and focus only on myself. For others this could be running, drawing or playing music, but I highly recommend that everyone find one thing that allows you to escape.
I hope you found some of these ideas helpful! We are living in an interesting time and trying to navigate through some unknowns. Remember to breathe and give yourself (and those around you) plenty of grace.
-Grace L. (Girl Talk Ambassador)