By: Anna Petrela

Stress: the six-letter word that seems to follow us everywhere. Each one of us feel stress at one point or another, and can make us feel overwhelmed. Especially with culminating’s coming up, and exams closer than we know, it seems as if our stress levels are increasing by the second. Whether you’re in Grade 9 and learning to juggle everything for the first time, or you’re in Grade 12 and already know what’s coming ahead, stress is always present.

There is no set way to deal with stress—different strategies work for different people. Stress is an integral part of our lives, that is completely inevitable no matter the circumstances. Especially with December and January just around the corner, it’s important to find tactics and solutions to make sure that you can reduce your stress levels and stay on top of your studies. Organizing what you need to get done in order of importance is a good starting point. By doing so, you allow yourself to see what you need more time to focus on and give more attention to. Getting all the help you need with homework questions and assignments is also very important. Filling in the gaps of certain topics and areas of study will prevent stress from occurring later on.

Some other non-school related tips to de-stressing are to try to stay as healthy as you can. You can do this by trying to exercise, eat healthy snacks, and getting the proper amount of rest that you need. Your physical and mental health are extremely important, and will allow you to handle stress in a much easier way. If you feel as if your stress is too much for you to handle, talking to a parent, friend, or sibling can help with lowering stress levels as well. But most importantly, each of us need to remember that stress is a natural response in the brain, and can be a healthy push to get us to do what needs to be done. Sometimes stress can get the best of us, but don’t let it take over your life.