Dear Felicia,

How is the best way to deal with the stress, from sports and school, when you have a lot of things going on and feel overwhelmed?

Suffering from a work overload can be stressful during your high school career. Do you ever wonder how to relieve the stress?

Keep Calm. The worst thing you can do is get stressed out about everything that you have to handle. Things can get crazy at times, but never freak out about it because if you do, you’ll probably end up anxious or overwhelmed which can cause you become emotional or to break down crying.

“There are different kinds of breathing techniques, there is yoga, mindfulness, and changing the way that you think about a situation,” says Ronald Hokanson, LHS social worker. “Healthy eating, exercise and staying hydrated. It is harder to deal with stress when you are tired, hungry and dehydrated and exercise is a natural stress reliever.”

Stay Organized. Try to keep yourself organized by writing everything you need to do down. Then check off each item your complete off of your list. Doing this also allows for you to determine which assignments will take longer and which ones you should do first. It can also make you feel good each time you check something off and you realize that you have one less assignment to do.

“[Staying organized]is perfect. If you are organized and prepared you are less likely to be stressed.” says Hokanson.

Time. Manage your time wisely. Don’t wait until last minute to start everything, meaning that if you have a week to do a project, work on it little by little each day. Relieve yourself with a break every now and then. Go run outside, bike ride, watch TV for a while, go to the park, listen to music, or even go do chores. Get up and get active for a little bit instead of just sitting there and doing your homework for 4 hours straight.

“The best way to manage your time us to keep an agenda,”  says Tesha Ward, guidance counselor. “You should prioritize, and not take on more than you can chew (handle).”

Limit Yourself. Of course we would all rather be at sports practice or a game then sitting there doing homework, but you should limit yourself. If you are going to practices and games and not getting your homework done, think about it… Is that really the best choice considering if you fail, your suspended off the team.

Naps. I get that a lot of people go home and take a nap. Some even completely blow off that they have homework. I understand you’re tired from a long or stressful school day, but a nap should be a reward, not something to distract you from your school work.

New Technology. Discover the new ways of technology. We are all addicted to technology in one way of another. If it is alright with your teacher, ask he/she if you can type your homework. Most of us can type faster on a phone or a computer then we can write.

Typically what I do is when I am allowed to type for a class, I use my phone and I speak into it what I want it to say, go on to my computer, format the paper then print it. Technology can even save you time. Honestly, how much easier is it to speak your essay into your phone then sit there and hand write it?

When? Most teenagers have a busy life and don’t know when to start their homework, then typically end up staying up past 1:30 a.m. If you have sports later that night, then go home start on your homework right away. If you have sports right after school then try to get your homework done in a DLT, get it done while dinner is being prepared, talk to your coaches about an after school study group, or while waiting for your favorite TV show to come on.

Television. Most teenagers cannot wait until later at night to sit down in front of a TV and watch the series they’ve been waiting for. Try not to wait to start your homework after the series because most of the time starts 8:00 p.m. or later so then you’re stuck doing your homework after you’ve already began to relax. Try making it a goal to be done before your show. Watching TV should be your relaxer and your reward.

Sleep. Teenagers need sleep, I know you want to stay up late texting your friends or tweeting but stop and think to yourself what the consequences are going to be if you stay up until 2:00 a.m.

• You’re going to be tired at school.
• You’re not going to want to wake up.
• You might miss the bus.
• The day is going to feel longer.
• You’re missing important information because you were sleeping in class.
• You run out of time to pick out a cute outfit, so you look like a bum.
• It’s even harder to catch on sleep for the second or third time.
• You tend to be snappy or aggressive towards others.
• It’s harder to focus on seeing, listening, or communicating.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, it is a proven fact that teens need sleep to keep themselves going strong and that sleep deprivation can lead someone to go crazy or an illness.

I hope this helps.☻

Email me questions for emotional and relationship guidance at [email protected]