Stress and How I Dealt with It
By Diana Faith, age 17, Mississippi
Many times in life we have been and unfortunately will continue to be stressed. There are always those tests we've forgotten about, the younger siblings to look after, and our jobs. And let's not forget the little things we get stressed over too. In the time we live in it's very hard not to be stressed, and most of the time we don't even realize it.Stress may seem like a harmless reaction to things in life, but really it is just the opposite. Stress is harmful not only emotionally but also physically. The good news is that stress can be avoided in many ways, one of which is by using the steps below.
1. Look at your situation. Can you really do this on your own, or is it something that is out of your hands? If you can't deal with it, let it go; there is no reason to stress about it if you have no control over it.
2. Take action. If you find that things in life are stressing you, find solutions. For example, if you find you get stressed because you let your bedroom get cluttered, clean it up.
3. Mountain? If you find you are stressed about something really big, make a plan. Find ways you can tackle the situation one piece at a time, instead of jumping on the whole problem at one time.
However, some of us do not realize when we are stressed until it gets really bad. For example, sometimes when I have a project time flies and I end up doing it at the last minute. It is then when I realize that I don't have everything I need, and then I end up freaking out and can't think straight.
Not too long ago I found the most amazing way to avoid as much stress as I can. I found yoga. :) Yoga is more of a stretch than an exercise, and it is more of a meditation than a stretch. I started doing yoga when I had almost hit rock bottom. I felt like I wasn't good enough. I wasn't skinny enough, toned enough, cheerful enough. Basically I felt absolutely hopeless.
At that time I had gained a lot of weight and felt completely horrible. Yoga was amazing. I wasn't as stressed, I had a lot more energy, and I dropped 10 pounds in a month. I did it all the time. It was relaxing and not really a routine because I enjoyed it so much. Not only have I seen and felt a difference, my friends have also noticed a difference. Yoga completely turned my life around and I found I was able to deal with even the enormous situations a lot better.
So, however you choose to deal with stress, deal with it, because it may seem harmless, but in reality it could be physically and emotionally hurting you.