Table of Contents
Introduction
Picture this. You just got back your test result. Expecting to get an easy high score, you look at the test and it says you got a D. What’s your initial feeling? Stress right? You spent ALL that time studying up on the test, just for you to get a bad score. Well, fear no more, as I, Isaac, am here with some tips to help you.
My 1st Tip
My first tip, and this, in my opinion, is the best tip, is to just talk with another person.
This can include siblings, your best friends, your parents, and more. By expressing your feelings to them, they will be able to know how you’re currently feeling and could potentially help you cope with your stress. Talking about a problem can also help if you break it into smaller parts, which can stop you from feeling so overwhelmed. By talking to a friend, you could potentially identify options or solutions you hadn’t thought of before.
They can help you sort through the problem, they can help you see the situation more clearly, and they can help you look at the problem in a new or different way. Remember, you are not alone – you may find that your friends could too share your feelings. By talking to another friend, this can greatly reduce your stress, strengthen your immune system, and reduce physical and emotional distress.
My 2nd Tip
My second tip is to meditate and breathe.
By stopping just for a bit to mediate and do breathing exercises, it can do wonders. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled and random thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing your stress. This process may result in enhanced and improved physical and emotional well-being.
The easiest way to do this is to firstly, find a comfortable position, be it sitting down or standing up, whatever suits you. Then close your eyes, and imagine yourself in a relaxing environment. Anywhere. The beach, a big beautiful field, anything. Once you’ve done that, do something I like to call the 2-7-8 breathing exercise. Breathe in as much air as you can (but not too much) for 2 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds. After those 7 seconds are up, slowly breathe out for 8 seconds. You will feel much more relieved and relaxed.
My 3rd Tip
My third and last tip is to eat well.
Please, do not, in any circumstances, stress-eat. If you do this it can lead to eating too much, most notably unhealthy high-calorie and fatty foods. This may be enjoyable in the short-run, but in the long-run you will quickly gain weight and fat, and because of this, could lead to more stress. And if you stress more it can potentially lead to more stress-eating, hence the domino effect.
Numerous studies, and to be fair — many of them are done using animals — have shown that their physical or emotional distress increases the intake of food high in fat, sugar, or both. High cortisol (the primary stress hormone) levels, in combination with high insulin (a naturally occuring hormone that allows sugars to enter the body’s cells) levels, are also responsible.
Here is a link from the Harvard Medical School that shows why over-eating can be harmful: HERE
Conclusion
Hopefully these simple tips help you to cope with your stress. And please, do not hesitate to reach out to your close friends or loved ones. If you need someone to talk to, immediately reach out to them.
P.S: Are you stressed with exams? Check out this link for my top 3 tips!
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