Hello!! I wanted to write a blog post on a topic that I know near enough everyone has suffered from at some point. Stress. I'm very stress and a lot of people I know are too, some even more than me. It comes in all different shapes and forms and can really affect our mental state.

My exams are approaching closer and closer by the day and I know how stressful the approaching time of year can be. I really wanted to write a blog post on how I personally deal with stress and how I try and prevent it.

When the tiniest bit of stress occurs for me, I try and identify the source and find a solution to the problem. However, this isn't always possible to do, this is where I then turn to other sources of relief.


Be active-

I know that I won't get rid of the stress but it will help to reduce some of the emotional intensity that you could be feeling. Exercise is a stress eliminator and is great for releasing endorphins. During my GCSE's last year, when I was feeling particularly stressed I would take a short walk around the nearest neighbourhood to distract myself from revision and providing myself with a distraction. Walking helps so much to clear my thoughts and feelings and helps me to re-focus in on the task at hand.



Take control-

There is always a solution to the problem. Not doing anything about a problem can sometimes make it worse, increasing the intensity of stress. The act of taking control is empowering and helps to combat the problem and increase productivity.



Chatting to friends-

Having a good support system around you is crucial. Friend and family provide a lot of help when it comes to those problems that you need to take control of in order to de-stress. Connecting with people is vital for when you need to turn to someone and let it all out and find a solution. I'm so relaxed when I'm with my friends and family and I spend the majority of my time laughing- which is another awesome stress reliever.



'Me' Time-

I know how stressful school and work can be and how little time we actually spend looking after ourselves. I always leave Sundays completely free so I can relax and do things that I love without having to worry about school or anything else. The same applies to my evenings after I have done all my schoolwork.



Avoiding unhealthy habits-

Relying on alcohol, caffeine and smoking to cope does a lot more damage then it does good. Instead, relying on your friends for support is both healthier and is long-term relief. Drinking and smoking as well as relying on caffeine will only provide you with temporary relief and will lead you to putting off the problem for longer and making your stress worse. Deal with it sooner rather than later.



Work smarter not harder-

Prioritizing on tasks that are the most important are key. Concentrate on the ones that need the most attention first and the ones that require the least amount of attention last. Also, don't expect to get everything done that you wanted to in the day, we can't predict what life is going to throw at us and on the other hand getting everything done in one day may not be an option or easy to do.



Accept things that you cannot change-

Changing a difficult situation isn't always the outcome or the best option. Concentrate on the things that you know that you are in control of. Accepting the secure outcome is the better option when it comes to stress instead of dwelling on something that is out of your control.



Don't sweat the small things-

It's easier said then done and I know you have heard it a million times before. It works though. Sometimes we all need to take a step back from the situation and re-assess everything that we are doing and everything that is currently happening. If it's not going to be around in a months time or even longer down the road then is it worth stressing over. We have to put life into perspective  and realise that the small problems aren't worth stressing over.



Toxic people-

Negative people are never good news, especially if they make you anxious, stressed or try and put you down. If there is someone like that in your life, its in your own best interest to take yourself out of the situation and re-evaluate those in your life. People are nasty, negative and try and put their stress on you and you need to prevent these types of people from entering and staying in your life or at least keep them at an arms length. I experienced this myself not that long ago, and I took a step back from that situation and immediately knew that some people were never truly my friends and didn't care about myself or my wellbeing. To cut it short I removed those people from my life as best as I could and I'm now much happier and content with my life and myself and no where near as stressed as I was in that point of my life.



Organization-

Organizing helps to abolish stress in general and makes life a lot easier. I become very easily stressed if I don't know what's happening or when things are due in, because of the lack of time to plan everything for my own piece of mind. As my mum says, a organised life leads to an organised mind.



Don't be hard on yourself-

Someone always has it worse off then you do, don't put the weight of the world on your shoulders because you will only be putting more stress on yourself that you don't need. You can always get through anything that life throws at you. Remember that so far you have survived 100% of your worst days and you are still breathing and living.