Stress Reduction for Students …Think of Seven Things

It seems fairly common for a student to go through stressful transitions much more often than do their parents and family members. Change is a part of school life: just when you get one teacher / class figured out, the next quarter or semester is on its way. Or just when you are comfortable with a group of friends, one moves away, ends a relationship, or makes some kind of change that affects the group dynamics. Whatever the reason, basic survival tools are essential when everything seems to be going wrong.

For a lot of people, this “break in the universe” seems to bring up anxiety so that other issues arise. Ever notice that people run a stop sign when they are intensely worrying about someone else’s problems? Or that a cell phone is dropped shortly after some other negative event? Maybe the Jedi Knights were right when they spoke of “The Force” being disturbed.

Whatever is going on to disrupt your comfort level and create anxiety, perhaps a test you have not prepared for, or a class presentation, there is one valuable tool that seems to erase all that negativity and replace it “with positive energy”. Stress reduction can be very simple. Stop. Breathe deeply. Then write down or at least think of seven things you do well. They do not need to relate to what is going on. You might write down things are easy to remember:

• I have a great smile
• I brush my teeth three times a day
• I was great playing the Tin Man in our 4th-grade play, “The Wizard of Oz”
• I completed all assignments on time last week
• My spaghetti sauce is outstanding
• I was on time for every class today
• I kept to my budget last month.

Try it. Don’t take yourself too seriously. No sarcasm; everything you think of must really be positive. The simpler the items are, the quicker your mood will improve. Me? I’m good at laughing at “the wrong place” in a dramatic movie. The looks of the people in front of me always keep me laughing...