Starting a new school year can be very stressful. Trying to balance school, work, and a social life is a struggle. Worry and anxiety is a valid feeling that 1 in 3 teens feel everyday. Humans are given high expectations and pressure to succeed from the day we enter high school till the day we retire and eventually pass away. It seems unfair we are only given four years to prove are educational worth and if you fail it seems like there’s nowhere to go from there. In reality, college is not the only answer but we don’t learn that till its to late and we could have been preparing for what happens if college isn’t an option. All of this lead to tons of anxiety and chronic stress.

Here are some tips on how to stop that anxiety right in its tracks.

Go outside 

Even if your sitting on your front porch, or going on a walk being outside and just taking a little break from the world around you can really relief stresses you might have. I recommend going outside with a close friend and just talking to get your mind off of things. I personally don’t like reading, so I like to take pictures of things I find really pretty; but if you do enjoy reading take that book outside.

Getting good sleep

I know its hard to put down your phone before you go to sleep, but try for maybe just a week to put it away 30 minutes before you go to bed, and aim to get that 8 hours of sleep. Getting at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night can really improve mental health. An article written by the sleep foundation found that “Sufficient sleep, especially REM sleep, facilitates the brain’s processing of emotional information.” It’s something everyone does every night and if you can just squeeze in those couple of hours you can positively impact you day.

Hangout with more positive friends 

Being in high school it can feel difficult to separate from toxic friends. I’m telling you the second you cut ties with that person life becomes a lot simpler you have more time to deal with your own problems. There are plenty of people in this school you don’t know if you struggle with making new friends maybe join a school club or sport. School can already be stressful having someone who adds on to that stress is not worth it. We have many years still to go remove that obstacle from your life and keep growing.

Take a break/Stop being so negative 

Give yourself a break we have been alive for only 14 to 18 years. You’re not suppose to know everything, and you are not stupid for not understanding something, you just have to be willing to learn it. You just have to hold yourself accountable so you can improve.