A new week’s begun and there are tests to ace, assignments to hand in and final exams to fret over. Like any other TEEN you’re probably stressed out. But what exactly is stress, anyway, and just how are we supposed to deal with it, you ask?

Stress is any reaction to stimuli that upsets your physical or mental equilibrium. In other words stress is this little thing that may challenge or threaten your well-being. Stress often has emotional, psychological and physical effects.

Here are some of the things that happen when you get stressed: 

Blood pressure rises

Breathing becomes more rapid

Immune system goes down

Muscles become tense

Heightened state of alertness which may lead to difficulty sleeping

While the above are natural things that happen when we experience stress, we can take measures to avoid stress leading to ill health or emotional break downs. Here are a few tips to help you keep it all together:

1. Drink less caffeine: large amounts of caffeine can make you jittery, overly alert and leave you listless and tired when the rush or ‘buzz’ is over.

2. Exercise: this releases chemicals in your brain that help you relax and make you happy.

3. Be more assertive: it’s nice to be nice, but sometimes you have to say ‘no’. You’ve got two important tests coming up but your friend wants to go out? Sorry, but no. 

4. Delegate responsibilities: I’m looking at you over-achievers. While it’s amazing that you hold an executive position in three clubs AND you’re a prefect or class rep, you can’t do everything. People are there to help – let them help. Usain Bolt’s a legend on the track but we’ve never seen him run a relay by himself, have we?

5. Take a moment to relax: this may seem counter-productive, but it’s not. If you’ve been staring at that one math problem for half and hour take a moment to do something relaxing or even something less stressful then go at it again.

Our lives may never be stress-free but we can learn how to cope. Happy coping, teeNATION!