Strategies to
Shrink Stress
by Layla Charron
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As a high school student living through a pandemic, I have had my fair share of stress and overwhelming moments. Being a student during these trying times can lead to a huge lack of self care. There have been many occasions where I’ve been too caught up in school, extracurricular activities, caring for other people, and many other parts of my life where I just completely forget about myself. In honor of caring for your physical and emotional self, here are some self care & self love tips that I use to center my body and mind.
YOGA
Yoga is such an important part of my daily routine! You can do it as long as you have access to Youtube. Yoga can be done from the floor, your bed, or wherever else! Along with that, there are so many videos that focus on different parts of your body and your mind. There are videos that span anywhere from a 3 minute practice to sessions over an hour.
Yoga is all about variety! I would recommend watching a video or two and seeing what works for you. An article from Harvard Health EDU states, “By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress more flexibly."
Also - I would totally endorse using Yoga With Adriene’s Youtube channel for guided yoga!
READING
Next, reading books is such a great way to unwind when feeling overwhelmed. I always feel 10000x better after spending some quality time with a good book. My favorite books are those that are dystopian novels or fantasy novels. The great thing about books is that they are so versatile. So many options for so many different types of people. If you want to fall into a series, I would totally recommend the Hunger Games series. I read the trilogy within about three weeks.
An article on the reduction of stress through reading by Taking Charge EDU mentions, “A 2009 study at the University of Sussex found that reading can reduce stress by up to 68%."
I definitely feel this as I LOVE to just escape to a different world through reading. Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy books, but as soon as I pick one up again, I sink right into the sea of pages.
MEDITATION
I’m still rather new to it, but it always improves my mood, concentration, and also helps me fall asleep at night. I always do guided meditation videos. Just like with yoga, there are many types of meditation videos on Youtube that focus on certain aspects of your mind, your needs, and also amount of time.
In an article by Very Well Mind, the author writes, “It helps many people connect to a place of inner strength. Numerous studies have found that, in diverse populations, meditation can minimize stress and build resilience. Meditation research is still relatively new, but promising."
Meditation is a big help to my mental health, and I would suggest it to anyone that has a very busy mind.
NAPPING
This one is sort of a weird one but I genuinely always look forward to a good nap. Sometimes it’s hard to fall asleep when you’re overwhelmed, but putting on some relaxing music and just drifting off to sleep is honestly such a big help to me.
An article from Sleepscore Labs makes the point that “sleep is a powerful stress reducer. Following a regular sleep routine calms and restores the body, improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making. You are a better problem solver and are better able to cope with stress when you’re well-rested. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, reduces your energy and diminishes mental clarity."
Naps make me a happier person, so they might help you out too!
BAKING & COOKING
As a new-ish vegan, I have gotten the chance to try a lot of different dishes and ingredients that I didn’t previously know about. It’s so much fun to make creations and see how they turn out.
Eating Well blog shares an article that discusses why people have been taking to making food during quarantine. “We're feeling a loss of control as our routines are thrown out the window… Cooking can center people, offering the emotional grounding of a task and a sense of accomplishment," writes Michael M. Kocet, PhD, professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, who teaches a course on culinary therapy. This is a reflection on the way cooking new recipes, baking bread, etc. have become increasingly popular throughout the pandemic.
I agree that cooking has become a much larger part of my life since COVID, and that is something that I am very thankful for. You should look up a new and exciting recipe for a meal tonight! It might relieve some stress.
I hope that at least one of these tips inspires you to try something new to help out with your stress! Just know that whatever you are worried about, it will heal with time, and I wish you so much love in that process. Good luck to you on your mental health journey, and know that you are not alone on it.
Sources:
yoga: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/yoga-for-anxiety-and-depression
reading: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/reading-stress-relief#:~:text=Simply%20by%20opening%20a%20book,stress%20by%20up%20to%2068%25.
meditation: https://www.verywellmind.com/meditation-4157199
napping: https://www.sleepscore.com/how-to-rest-your-way-to-less-stress/#:~:text=Sleep%20is%20a%20powerful%20stress,you're%20well%2Drested.
baking/cooking: https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7805560/why-people-are-cooking-to-help-relieve-stress-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
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