Essays, quizzes, tests, projects, friends, deadlines, sports, clubs, meetings, grades, peer pressure, weekend plans, pop quizzes and sleep. These are some of the daily stressors experienced by a high school student, just to name a few. I know all too well how working to reach a goal can cause stress in life. I constantly find myself in a state of needing to slow down, assess a situation, and then calmly continue in the best way possible. I feel like I must talk to at least one person a day who is stressed about what is going to happen in the future and how this will affect a dream of theirs. When people work towards an achievement or goal that they have in mind, they can often worry themselves so much that they are actually stinting their ability to succeed. I think that it is very important to set reasonable, healthy and attainable goals that push and encourage us, but don't put us over the edge. Stress is a very dangerous and important issue to understand and control, especially at a young age. Because many people find themselves stressing when working to fulfill a dream, I feel that this topic is extremely relevant and close to my heart. Not only is it important to set goals and work hard to obtain them, but it is also very important to take time in life for ourselves. I believe that a simple, yet wonderfully important goal and dream that we should all have as human beings is to be the happiest and healthiest person that we can be. As high school students, we all find our own outlets to rid ourselves of stress. These can include working out, playing video games, practicing a sport, listening to music, reading, writing in a journal, talking to friends, watching a movie or maybe even taking a quick nap when necessary. Equally important as working hard in our everyday lives is giving ourselves the time that we need to decompress, and that should be an attainable goal for everyone. Recently, I have been learning a lot more about stress in both school and at home. The effects of stress on both our physical and mental states can be truly devastating. So many stressed-out teenagers don't even understand how their daily stressors can negatively affect them. When I'm stressed out about anything, the first thing I do is take a deep breath and think about the worst possible situation. This often helps me to put things in perspective. We all need to find healthy ways to manage stress, especially when stressing out about long term goals or dreams. Being stressed for our entire life about our ability or inability to achieve a dream is simply not a healthy and happy way to live. As we grow, our dreams change. We must accept this as truth and grow with our changing minds. Below, I have posted a link with some helpful stress-relieving techniques. Hopefully, in stressful situations, these may help you out a little bit. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm
Childhood Dream #4: To live on the moon. Who knows...maybe some day.
