There are some days, weeks, months or even years when you can feel like life is just hitting you with a ton of bricks. In high school, college, your job, and any time really you can feel overwhelmingly stressed and like life is just completely against you. I know I’ve definitely been there and a ton of other people (pretty much everyone in the world) have been there too. Now I’m by no means an expert in handling stress, I get stressed out all the time, but there are a lot of ways I have found helpful to manage it. You are definitely not alone in being stressed out, here are some of the ways I wanted to share to help relieve your stress, even if it’s only just a little bit.

1. Organizing a planner

I find that organizing my days and weeks into a planner by class and extracurricular activity really helps to get my stress levels down. If I know what I have to get done throughout the day and can cross things out while I do them, I feel less overwhelmed.

2. Writing in a journal

I love to write and even if you don’t sometimes if you write down what happened during your day or any of your thoughts and feelings it can make you feel better. Maybe it will help to take your mind off all of the things you have to do.

3. Sitting outside

Sometimes just taking in some fresh air and just sitting in the outdoors for a while can be beneficial. You get to just clear your mind and enjoy nature for a little bit, without any worries.

4. Drink Tea

There are many different types of teas that are meant to to help give you stress relief and they can also be great for warming yourself up through cold winter nights, while doing your homework. Also, Chamomile tea has a calming effect when you drink it that can make you feel serene and stress free.

5. Meditation

Even just five minutes of meditation every day can help you to feel calmer and less overwhelmed. There are many different apps you can use that take you through guided mediations or you could just do your own meditation if you prefer. The app I use is called Calm and it has really helped to relieve my stress over the past year or so.

6. Yoga

This is a great way to get in shape physically and mentally. It can be really nice to just stretch out and have yoga as a way to start or even end your day. It has a huge calming and relaxing effect. You can take a class at a gym near you, at your school or you could do it by yourself in your very own home. There are great YouTube videos that can take you through a series of beginner poses and different routines you can try. My personal favorite yoga YouTube channel to watch is Yoga with Adriene, but you can try whatever YouTube channel you see fit for you and your yoga.

7. Hanging out with friends

A lot of the time hanging out with your friends can really help you take your mind off all of the stressful things you have going on in your life. Watch a movie, play a game, go get dinner, just sit around and talk, do anything you can with them to get away from a stressful mindset. Even just venting to them about what’s making you so stressed out can help too!

8. Doing something you love

The last thing you can do to relieve your stress is very broad. Do something you enjoy doing, something you love to get those stressful thoughts out of your mind. Sing a song, dance around your room like no ones watching, eat your favorite food, watch your favorite movie, read your favorite book, paint something, listen to your favorite song on repeat! Just remember don’t get so caught up with the stressful things in life, take a minute to appreciate the world around you and just do something you want to do for once, not something you have to do.

Live a happy life and enjoy being stress free every once in a while!