Emotional Freedom Techniques

Try some of these tips to cope with your stress:

• Take care of yourself. Eat well-balanced meals on a regular basis. Drink less caffeine. Get enough sleep, and exercise on a regular basis.

• Make a list of the things that are causing your stress. Think about your friends, family, school, and other activities. Accept that you can’t control everything on your list.

• Take control of what you can. For example, maybe you don’t have enough time to study to get the grades you want. You may need to cut back your work hours. Or you might have to drop one of your activities after school.

• Give yourself a break. Remember that you can’t make everyone in your life happy all the time. And it’s okay to make mistakes now and then.

• Don’t over-commit yourself. If you’re already too busy, don’t promise to decorate for the school dance. If you’re tired and don’t want to go out, tell your friends you’ll go another night.

• Find someone to talk to. Talking to your friends or family can help. It gives you a chance to express your feelings. If you feel like you can’t talk to your family or a friend, talk to someone outside the situation.