By Shannon McKenna
Round Table editor
High school is often filled with stressful tests, teenage drama, and multiple after school activities which can seriously put a damper on the cheerful mood of students. Throughout the day we get sucked into a whirlwind of activities and events so we tend to forget a lesson some of us were taught at a young age, enjoy the little things in life.
When it comes to being happy the little things we do can make a big difference in how a day is spent. It’s truly very simple to change your mood around if you have an activity that puts you at peace rather then letting yourself get crushed under the waves of stress.
“To avoid stress I take long walks to clear my mind, and I also listen to music to get myself in a positive mood,” said junior Jessica Shirley.
One thing that can usually change a mood from blue to bright on a rough day is blasting you favorite upbeat music and dancing around the room. By doing that in the end you always end up smiling, no matter if you’re a good or bad dancer. Dancing releases endorphins automatically making you’re mood better after dealing with an annoying situation. But music and dancing isn’t the only thing that is proven to brighten your day.
Perfumes, and candles, any type of fragrance are supposed to have a big effect on moods. The part of our brain that detects the smell also processes our emotions so by smelling something sweet it allows the mind to go into a sort of happy euphoric state.
Another way to deal with the stress that comes with high school is by eating fresh, natural, tasty food. Eating small, low calorie meals throughout the day help to keep the strain off. Many meals that include vitamin B helps smooth out your mood because they are used to help deal with stress, anxiety, and depression.
The simplest way of relieving stress is by just taking time to rest. Overworking your body and mind can have some serious repercussions in the long run. There are easy ways to recognize if you are overwhelming yourself such as you’re always on edge, you can’t sleep, you try to multi-task but get nothing done, you get constant headaches, and sometimes you talk too fast.
“I deal with stress just by sleeping, or playing guitar, or hanging out with my girlfriend because they’re simple ways for me to just focus on one thing and forget everything else that’s going on,” said senior Mark Koons.
It’s normal to feel weighed down when things get busy, but the important thing is that we take a step back, breathe, and enjoy the simple things that keep our lives balanced. Make time to take care of your body and mind because that’s the most important things in life. Grades, expectations, drama they all are just the puzzle pieces of your life, but if you can’t take care of yourself, then they aren’t very important.
