By Sydney Miller

Being a high school student can be very stressful at times, the later months of the school year tends to be particularly trying with all the exams and huge milestones such as graduation approaching.

“We all have emotions and we all get stressed!” said Ms. Dana Mendelson, a school social worker. “It’s important to learn how to manage our stress so we can take better care of ourselves in order to be the best version of ourselves and live more joyful lives.”

Many may recognize Mendelson as the staff member who comes to their classes to explain what mental health is and help them build good coping skills. Some students have taken her teachings to heart and have adopted their own coping mechanisms to help them get through life.

Ms. Mendelson said some common coping skills among students is taking deep breaths, or the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method of re-centering yourself. The method entails naming 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.

Besides this, there are many more effective ways of dealing with overwhelming feelings.

“I separate myself from people around me,” said Lans Duke, a 9th grade Murrow student. “Like I just leave and listen to music.” 

To avoid getting stressed in the first place Duke schedules their homework and asks their mother to help them when needed. By practicing good time management skills and utilizing their support system, they avoid the anxiety and frustration that may come with deadlines.

Image: Freshman Lans Duke decompressing in nature.

Besides taking care of yourself, it’s important to take care of others too.

“We all need to be able to support each other through tough times. Practicing empathy and active listening skills allows you to be a better friend,” said Mendelson. “Saying something like ‘I’m here if you need me’ or ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ are some good examples of phrases we can use to help each other.”

Motivation is a big factor in succeeding in anything. When people feel there is no reason to do things, they feel strained to work on it.

To avoid this feeling of pointlessness in school, junior Abigail Lutula tries to keep herself in the right mindset.

“I keep myself motivated by setting goals,” said Lutula. “And by listening to affirmations.”

Affirmations are videos or audios that have positive sayings such as “You are beautiful” or “You are good enough”. They may ask the viewer to repeat those phrases so they can internalize them.

Lutula listens to these to help her have a positive outlook and thus gives her the confidence to work towards her goals.

Image: Junior Abigail Lutula

“I do yoga when I’m overwhelmed,” said the junior.

This also helps her keep her mindset positive, and you can do it too. There are yoga classes available at Murrow alongside a yoga club if you aren’t able to get into the class or don’t want it to count towards your average.

Sometimes, it’s not enough to have a goal. It may require more self discipline to get the task done.

“I have a lot of problems with that,” freshman Lucien Conan admits. “But when I want to stay motivated, I tend to just force myself to do something until I feel motivated again.”

By making himself do things even when he doesn’t want to, he helps himself avoid falling deeper into that lack of motivation.

Image: Lucien Conan unwinding at a coffee shop.

There’s no guide to coping, it’s a personal discovery that takes a few tries to get right. The first step, no matter who you are, is to give yourself the freedom to feel and recognize those feelings of stress.

“When I’m overwhelmed, I try to breathe deeply and not push down anything I’m feeling,” said Conan. 

It’s this thinking that leads to healing and growth, which is something everyone could use today, and everyday. 

Featured Image courtesy of Williams Integracare.