Ways to Reduce Stress Headed Into Quarter 3

As the chaos of midterms and Semester 1 comes to a close, a new set of classes, teachers and extracurricular activities can create new stress. Here are a few practices that may be useful to implement into a daily routine to help keep stress to a minimum as Semester 2 kicks into gear.  

Mindfulness is a super easy method to try, as it can be as little as 5 minutes a day, or much longer. It comes in many shapes and sizes, such as breathing, observation, listening, and gratitude exercises. A 5-step mindfulness breathing exercise from BeeWell Living is as follows: “Start by breathing in and out slowly. Aim for a balanced inhale and exhale lasting 6-8 seconds. Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose, letting your breath flow effortlessly in and out of your body. Let go of your thoughts, things you have to do later today or pending projects that need your attention. Simply let thoughts rise and fall of their own accord and be at one with your breath. Purposefully watch your breath, focusing your sense of awareness on its pathway as it enters your body and fills you with energy. Then watch with your awareness as it works its way up and out of your nose as it returns to the world.” 

Observation mindfulness is also very easy and can be done virtually anywhere. Simply choose an object from your surroundings and focus on watching it for a minute or two. This will stimulate the brain, allowing you to lose focus on the stressors in your life and take a moment to focus all of your attention on one object. 

Mindful listening can be accomplished by listening to music, a calming podcast, or a Simple Habit or Headspace mindfulness track (both of which can be found in the App store). 

Mindfulness gratitude practices can be very simple. For example, either mentally, or on a notepad, find five things (people or objects) that typically go unappreciated by you. This helps to give thanks and become more appreciative of the seemingly insignificant things in life that make a difference.

Another easy way to reduce stress is through daily exercise. Whether that’s taking a walk or jog, doing some yoga, lifting weights, or playing a sport, exercise is essential for increasing the production of feel-good neurotransmitters in the brain called endorphins. 

Finding a “listener” can be very helpful in reducing stress. Talking to someone, either family, a friend, trusted adult, or trained professional such as a counselor or therapist, can help with processing emotions and therefore reduce stress. In addition, sharing emotions reduces stress while making us feel closer to others we share with. 

The final strategy to reduce stress moving into Semester 2 is to get enough sleep. This is definitely one of, if not the most overlooked way to reduce stress. According to SleepCore Labs, lack of sleep leads to reduced energy levels, as well as diminished mental clarity. Both of these things make it very difficult to focus, and have productive classes. SleepCore also reports that following a consistent sleep routine restores the body much more effectively, increasing concentration, judgment, and decision making, as well as regulating drastic mood changes. Their research also demonstrates that lack of sleep renders you more emotionally reactive, more impulsive, and more sensitive to negative stimuli. 

In order to get the most out of your nightly slumber, keep bedtime a worry free zone. Taking time to wind down calmly before bed is crucial to eliminating the day’s stress to maximize sleep. SleepCore also says that, “The presence of stress raises cortisol levels, a hormone that stimulates alertness and vigilance, raising heart rate and blood pressure… High cortisol levels at night interfere with the release of melatonin, a hormone that is essential for the regulation of sleep-wake cycles.”

 If you’re stressed when trying to sleep, your body has a much harder time falling into a deep sleep state where repairs and restorations of the body and mind take place. A few ways to help wind down before bed are meditation, and gratitude, as mentioned earlier, as well as organizing and “decluttering” your home and/or room, and exercising your mind, with puzzles such as sudoku or crosswords. These activities help to rid the worrisome thoughts that could keep you awake.

I hope you can implement a few of these practices into your daily routine as we move into a new semester here at Hanover High School.