Christmas is coming and we are all excited about the various gifts that we will be receiving. Bells are ringing, stockings are being hanged, carols are being sung, and snowmans are coming to life. Though this is a season of celebration and festivities, we must not forget reality.

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I want to focus on stress. Those in high school are taking midterms next month. High school seniors have college deadlines due and college students are currently taking finals. It seems as though Santa isn’t the only one busy this season. For it is the season of preparation and rigorous work for many of us!

With so many deadlines and pressures, it is understandable that you are stressed or filled with anxiety. Luckily I have a few ways that we can deal with these issues…

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1. I believe everyone is good at something…so I recommend you find time to yourself to do something you enjoy.
2. Sometimes taking up a new hobby can help relieve stresses
3. Meditation! Take the time to become one with yourself and the universe ;)Interact with people…sometimes being by yourself isn’t the best, especially if you are a people’s person and find enjoyment in those around you.
4. Go out and have fun with friends!
5. Music…not only does it connect us as a peoples but it also take us to a realm of excitement, relaxation, and contentment.

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A lot of the pressures we feel not only come from school, but from home and those we choose to surround ourselves with. Though everyone deals with these stresses differently, I encourage you to look deeper into what makes you happy. And to remember the immense amount of potential you hold and the power you have to benefit and change the world. With all these external expectations, it can be easy to forget just how amazing you are. Sometimes the key is to express your feelings…shamelessly. Furthermore, to achieve your goals I encourage all of us to step into the world shamelessly. With that level of confidence, your stress and anxiety will diminish because you are taking control of your life.

(Tenor.com Shameless Maya)

-Written by Brynn Hutchinson

“Aaahh all I want to do is crawl into a hole and hide from the world!!” this is a daily feeling for you after being burnt out from intense volleyball practices, exhausting study sessions and the parentals asking you to do every errand or chore they can think of, “stress” is a word that you seem like you ca never run from. No matter how far you go it just seems to linger all around you. Well no worries, we have the perfect solutions to kick stress to the curve without running to crawl under the closest rock!

Laughter!– Ok, people around you especially most adults tend to take life a bit too serious. I’m not saying making a mockery of serious life decisions is the answer but you can enjoy anything you do, it’s just a simple attitude shift. Look at the brighter side of things, enjoy laughing it up with your girls and it’s even ok to chuckle at yourself sometimes. The more pressure you put on yourself to be perfect, the more stress you’ll make yourself. So Laugh it up as much as you can throughout the day, by the end of the day you will be happier and stress-free!

Tackle It– I get it, your long 2 do list seems never ending and every time you think about it for a half a second too long you can feel your blood pressure slowly raise. A reason why you feel so stressed because you’re looking at all your tasks at once and not individually. Of course you’re going to be stressed if you look at doing 20 things in 20 minutes! So instead of feeling overwhelmed, break up what you have to do into most to least important and literally just focus on one task at once. Turn off everything complete that task fully and then move on to the next. When you try to multi-task too much, you sometimes start but never finish anything on the list. Time to focus and cross them out one by one. Trust me your stress level goes down with each task fully completed!

Move It! – Ok so your body needs just a slight boost to get both your energy and attitude to regroup. Stretching, exercising or just taking a walk around the block allows you time to regroup and refocus for tasks you need to do. After your body works out it releases endorphins which are your body”s “feel good” drug, which will put you in a better mood quicker.Try calming exercise such as walking, swimming and yoga.

“No” Please– Say it loud and say it proud! Sometimes the word “No” is the bridge that will make stress disappear from your life. I know telling the parentals or the teachers “no” is not an option but maybe the club president or your girlfriends is. If you feel like you’re overwhelmed with too many extra-curricular activities maybe stepping back is a good idea. You never want to stretch yourself too thin. Also you don’t have to be at every social event there is. Telling your girls you’ll skip out on movie night just to catch up on some extra Z’ss, is perfectly ok. You gotta get your beauty sleep right??

The “Write” Way– Sometimes you have to see it to believe it! So to prove how amazing your life is write down all the positive that’s happening in your life. Sometimes you just a slight reminder to shift your focus and embrace the hidden treasures in life. We tend to focus on 1 or 2 negatives in our lives and all the good gets buried under it all. It’s time to refocus our life. Once you see how long your list is,your stress level will come down and realize that great things always happen to you on a regular basis!

-C.O.R.E Family