Common Sources of StressDo you often feel drained? Does your back feel heavy and stiff? Do you always feel that school projects are up to your neck and you find yourself still awake until the next morning trying to finish a paper? Do you feel anxious about things that you were not able to finish and feel a throbbing pain in the head? If you are familiar with these symptoms, you are likely experiencing stress. Do not think that only adults suffer from stress because they have a lot more concerns to deal with. Fact is, stress can hit anyone at anytime. Children are not exempted from the stress of daily living. Stress Stress starts from psychological conditions such as worry or anxiety, anger, frustration and even disappointment. When these feelings persist over a long period of time or when these are not dealt with healthily, they pose a problem in the physical body, manifesting as bodily aches and pains. These feelings can disrupt normal sleeping habits: either you find it very difficult to fall asleep, you sleep a little, or you sleep too much. These can also affect your eating habits, causing either dramatic weight gain or weight loss. In any case, you will feel a lot worse than before, affecting your performance at school and your happiness at home. Kinds of Stress There are actually two types of stress. One is positive and the other is negative. Positive stress can drive you to perform well, allowing you to finish a school paper or be alert during a class recitation. Some signs of positive stress are increased level of energy, butterflies in the stomach or sweaty hands. On the other hand, negative stress happens when negative feelings and conditions persist over time. Example could be when you keep bad feelings long after a fight with your school mate has ended; when your parents are always cursing each other; when you cannot keep up with peer pressure at school. In other words, negative stress does not help you at all. It just makes you feel a lot worse. When you feel negative stress is creeping in, try to get some help from people you trust. You can confide in your best friend and tell him what is occupying your mind. You can also seek the advice of an elder at home or at school. Most adults know how to deal with negative stress. Too Much Activities Cause Stress Because children usually have a high level of energy, they would always want to do a lot of fun things after school. But sometimes, these things can also trigger a stressful condition. In such case, it would help if children could decline to participate in some activities in order to give them more time to rest. While some fun activities can help them cope with problems at home, too much of these can stress them. Some simple exercises can help relieve stress. Breathing is the easiest exercise to do. You can do it anytime, anywhere. Slow and deep breathing can help you relax. The correct way to do breathing is to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Do this breathing routine for four repetitions. Do not try to take in a lot of air because it can make you dizzy. Muscle relaxation is also another exercise to help release stress that has accumulated in the muscles. You do this to some body parts, starting from your toes all the way up to your head. Tense your toes, hold them for few seconds, then release. Move up to your ankles. Tense your ankles, hold them for few seconds, then release. Move up further to your knees. Tense your knees, hold them for few seconds, then release. Move up to your thighs, and do the same. Work up to your hips, stomach, breast, shoulders, neck, and face. Getting the SELF in Balance Getting the SELF in balance can significantly help you deal with negative stress the healthy way. This means that you need to get Sleep, Exercise, Leisure, and Food in moderate amounts. You just cannot overdo sleeping, exercising, having fun activities and eating. Similarly, you cannot be lacking in sleep, exercise, leisure, and food. Too much or too little of these can worsen your stress level. You need to get sufficient amounts of SELF.
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