Stress Management Tips For High School Students

Stress is something all students are familiar with. You need to get to class on time, make sure you do your homework, and study for exams. Then, there’s the extra pressure of trying to fit in socially. Juggling all these things at the same time can quickly wear you down.

So how do you improve your time management skills? Here are a few tips.

1. Keep a To-Do List to Help Your Prioritize

A to-do list is one of the simplest tools you can use to help you remember things. It eliminates the need of having to keep track of everything mentally. This helps cut down your brain’s workload allowing it to focus on more important things.

2. Keep Things Organized

Research suggests clutter or having too many useless things around you overloads your brain with stimuli coming from what you see, hear, smell and touch.

Mess also makes it difficult for you to focus on what’s important since there are so many things trying to compete for your mind’s attention.

As a result, it stresses you out and makes you anxious.

So, try to keep your work area and dorm room clean and organized. This not only saves you time when you need to find something, but it’s also a stress management technique that reduces the extra mental stress that comes with clutter.

3. Learn to Study Effectively

By learning to study effectively, you’re able to feel more confident going into exams. More importantly, it will help you get better grades, which ultimately lessens the stress that comes with worrying whether you’ll pass the class or not.

In her book “Learning How to Learn”, author Barbara Oakley explains that our brains like to learn through frequent repetition. This is why we can still remember the multiplication and division tables we memorized many years ago. The constant repetition over a long period of time helps reinforce concepts into our brains.

In contrast, doing an all-nighter to procrastinate for an exam may allow you to pass the test. But, you’re more likely to quickly forget all the information you just studied.

4. Practice Self-Care

Being young often gives you that feeling of invincibility. You can eat what you want and get away with as little as 3 to 4 hours of sleep. But, these bad habits ultimately catch up with you over time.

Not taking care of yourself makes you susceptible to getting sick. It also holds back your brain’s potential.

5. Get 7-8 Hours Sleep Per Night

While it may not seem like it, sleep is very important for students. Getting enough sleep improves your learning ability, memory, focus and attention. Additionally, it boosts productivity and concentration.

Unfortunately, getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is hard to do in high school. And, almost impossible in high school.

Between homework, project deadlines, early classes, and hanging out with friends, you’ll often find yourself getting little sleep. This is why studies show that most students are sleep deprived.

The bad news is, lack of sleep makes you moody and irritable. It also increases your stress and anxiety levels.

So, what can you do?

If you can’t get enough sleep at night, try sneaking in power naps in the middle of the day. Doing so helps you make up for some lost sleep. It also refreshes you, to wake up with more energy for your afternoon programs.

6. Create Your Own Support Group

Besides academics, the other foremost cause of stress for students is fitting in. This consists of receiving acclimated to the school’s surroundings as well as getting along with other students.

Having a strong support system is the best stress management system to decrease the stress of trying to fit in.

7. Take Advantage of Student Services

It is always a good idea to share your stresses with your counselors and advisors. High schools often have a guidance counselor or someone who is able to help students through these matters. Schools offer even more help with different services that are available for specific issues.

Read more: https://www.myschoolr.com/blog/stress-management-tips-for-high-school-students.html