When Life Pounces

by Melissa Tackett

Have you ever felt so stressed that you couldn’t think of any way to feel better?  We all have. When things happen in life that seem to take you down, how do you get back up?  It’s not what is happening to stress you that truly matters; it’s how you handle that stress that matters.

42% of teens have said that they do not know how to cope with stress or have not done anything to cope with stress (APA Stress in America Report).  Let’s go over some ideas for you to use to help when life is pouncing.

• Free up your schedule.  Maybe your stress is caused by doing too much with your time and not having enough down time to relax.  You may need to say no to adding anything more to your schedule. You may even need to remove something that is causing the most stress.
• Similarly, Learn to say no.  Not all stress comes from things we can control.  But if there is something in your schedule that you can control, do so.  Adding too much when we don’t have to will only create unnecessary issues.
• Relax.  Read, go for a walk, shoot some hoops, listen to music, spend time with friends/family, take a nap, etc.  Relaxing your body and mind will help relieve stress naturally.
• Balance your time.  Time-management is something you’ll always need.  Set your priorities and follow them. Make a schedule for your day/week/month.
• Learn Calming Self-Talk.  Self-talk is how we talk to ourselves, either out loud or mentally.  Calming self-talk is what we say to calm ourselves. For example, if you’re running late and it’s causing stress, ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that will happen if I’m late?”  The answer most likely won’t be as bad as it feels.

Keep getting back up when you feel knocked down.  Try different techniques to help and know that what you’re stressed about is temporary.  Learning to handle things now will greatly help you in your future!