10 Ways to deal with stress:
Here are some ways youth in Canada
deal with stress. Try out a few and
see how they work for you.
- Meditation: Studies show
that meditation lowers stress and
blood pressure. Some people call
meditation "quieting your mind."
Let your thoughts come and go as
they please—and live in the
moment. To meditate, begin by sitting
straight and comfortably on the
floor. Breathe through your nose
and try not to keep track of time.
Focus on the moment and the sensations.
If you find you are thinking of
other things you can try to focus
on a word or sound. You can buy
meditation tapes that will take
you through a relaxing “guided”
meditation at most health food or
New Age stores.
- Deep breathing: You focus
on your breathing. Take deep breaths
and slowly inhale and exhale. It’s
hard to think of much else when
you are focusing on breathing, but
if a thought comes nto your mind,
you can count the beats of your
breath to help keep you focused.
- Muscle relaxation: Get
into a comfortable position (probably
lying on your back) and notice where
your muscles are tense. Try now
to relax those muscles. A lot of
people find that their jaw, tongue,
neck and shoulders hold a lot of
tension.
- Using your imagination:
Imagine you are in a nice place.
Some people imagine looking at the
mountains or being by the ocean.
While you imagine the place, concentrate
on the sights, sounds and smells
of that place. You can get tapes
from the library or your local health
food or New Age store that have
the sounds of waterfalls, the ocean,
birds and other soothing sounds
that can help you with this.
- Exercise: Try stretching
out your muscles. Do some jumping
jacks or jogging in one place to
warm up your body. Or you can go
out for a walk or run in the fresh
air. Moving your body helps get
rid of stress and the fresh air
is good for your body! It can be
a very refreshing way to change
your mood.
- Get lots of sleep: Since
you are a youth you need more sleep
than other people because your body
is growing and changing. Sleep also
helps keep your immune system in
"tip-top" shape.
- Be creative: Music, poetry
and art are ways to express your
inner thoughts. Try it out. Grab
a pen and paper and write lyrics
to a song, a poem, start a journal
or draw a picture. You can even
grab a camera and take some pictures!
- Have fun: I know our lives
can get really busy—but we
have to make room for things we
really love to do. Listen to music
that makes you feel good, meditate,
go to a yoga class. Hang out with
a friend or a family member, take
up a sport, have coffee and read
a good book. Take a long bath or
go shopping. Go see a funny movie...sometimes
laughter can make a stressful situation
a lot better. Do things that make
you feel good about yourself. You
deserve it!
- Spend some time on your own:
Take a moment every day to stop
and have a few moments alone before
you start your busy day. Try stopping
while walking and listening to the
sound of birds, the wind or other
things you may miss. Some people
read an inspirational quote or write
in a journal first thing in the
morning to help them get ready for
the day.
- Reflect: Think back to
what has helped you relax and deal
with difficult situations in the
past.
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