Stress is a human emotion we’re all bound to experience at least once in our lives. It can come as a result of many situations: medical issues, socializing family visits etc; one of the most common things students stress over is school. Whether it be for tests and quizzes or essays and homework, its something we worry over, and something out of our control. What we can control, is how we cope with it.

BHS students have various ways of coping with stress. My coping mechanism is writing stories. Sophomore Tara Gyalsten says she copes by, “listen to music.” Other students (who wished to remain anonymous) claim they cope by “…playing sports, reading, going on walks”, and more. However, some of these techniques don’t work for everyone, and some people don’t have a coping mechanism that works at all. So, here’s a couple I might suggest.

First, meditation. During meditation, you can focus your attention on something other than those stressful thoughts, and eliminate them in the process. Meditating may also result in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Second, deep breathing exercises. This helps calm people because when you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to your body. Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply, so not only would your mind be at ease, but your body too.

Third, visualization. Visualization works to expand your ability to rest and relax by focusing your mind on calming images. Before starting visualization exercises, make sure the environment is free of distractions, such as phones, pets, or TV.
Finally, mantra, mantras can reduce stress by combining sound, breathing, and rhythm. This combination creates a relaxing vibe, and allows for your mind to stop wandering. As a result of the sound vibrations, different patterns of the mind rearrange themselves to become calm. By repeating a phrase over and over again can also aid in increasing your self-confidence before or while performing certain tasks.