Say So Long To Stress
April 28, 2015
As AP exams, finals, and Keystones approach, the end of the year may bring on new stress that can seem impossible to manage. There are ways to relieve the stress though. These are just a few of the many things that can reduce stress both in and out of school.
One of the best ways to relieve stress is to practice yoga. Yoga incorporates meditation and deep breathing, helps to improve mental state, lower cortisol levels, temporarily lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety. Yoga is offered as a physical education class, so if you have a free half credit, or need another physical education credit, try adding it. Along with the previously mentioned benefits, yoga also helps to improve focus, lowers heart rate and serves as good exercise. Even if there is no time to add yoga as a class, it is easy to incorporate into everyday life, as it can be done virtually anywhere whenever you have free time.
Physical education teacher Sharon Fassnacht believes students deal with too much stress nowadays in school and feels that students who take the class find the benefits of meditation within a few weeks.
“I think a lot of kids honestly take [yoga] just because of the meditation, and I don’t think it’s because you do nothing. Once they start meditating, and they do it for a week or two, they know the benefits,” said Fassnacht. “You guys have so much stress on you and so much anxiety, and you don’t have the tools to deal with it, so meditation is just one tool that can help you with that.”
Fassnacht has been teaching yoga at the school for four years now and has continuously seen a large growth in the size of classes. This year the school has even added Yoga II to allow students to take the class more than once.
Senior Eleri Burnett is just one of many students who has taken yoga multiple times and has experienced the benefits.
“To relieve stress I either do something like yoga that’s relaxing, or I play music, or I draw. Anything really that makes me feel good about myself and is calming,” said Burnett. “One thing about yoga…it’s a class that makes you feel good about yourself. Taking just a moment to yourself, which yoga really gives you, especially with meditation, is always a good idea.”
Another great way to relieve stress is to listen to music. Most of us listen to music on a daily basis anyways, and this simple activity can even help to get classwork or homework done faster. Music can trigger biochemical stress reducers and can even aid in helping to relieve stress connected to medical problems. Music can even help to reduce anxiety and to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Music has also been shown to enhance creativity in some students. It is recommended to listen to slower music to experience the best effects, though all music can be helpful.
Senior Erin McNeal enjoys doing artwork and sketching while listening to music to help her relieve stress and would highly recommend taking some sort of stress relieving class during the day.
“I like to draw, and I like to paint and sketch, and listen to music whilst doing that. I do both at the same time mostly, it just helps me to get super creative,” said McNeal. “If you don’t take an art class or a yoga class or some sort of class like that, I don’t know how you stay sane.”
Utilizing these tips can help to lead a healthier lifestyle and greatly reduce stress levels. Other simple activities that can help relieve stress are using senses, such as lavender, chewing gum, and even just laughing. For more tips on relieving stress, research online or talk to yoga instructors Stephanie McGlynn or Mrs. Sharon Fassnacht.
