With stressful term endings, avalanches of assignments, and adulthood looming a few years in the distance, life can get pretty crazy. Everyone has their own methods of dealing with overwhelming or difficult times, from taking baths to yoga and even a bowl of Depression Cheerios. Everyone is unique, and copes with stress in different ways.

Pearl Ashton, Editor-in-Chief, says, “I do yoga. Relaxing yoga. Not the sweaty, fast kind. I also enjoy snuggling up in blankets, turning the fan on full blast, wearing my fuzzy socks, and reading a book or binge watching Netflix. I also enjoy cuddling with my cat. She’s my favorite.”

“I always do something I’ve never done before when I’m particularly stressed out,” said Alexa Blaise Chandler, Photo and Art Editor. “I put aside everything I have to do and take a minute to breath and adventure. The most frustrating thing is not being able to accomplish everything you need to, but taking a step back and being free for a minute personally helps me to refocus and do what I need to do to succeed. Or I break down in tears, which always helps. Releasing emotion lightens tension and increases focus. Or I cat snuggle.”  

“Take deep breaths. Try to stay organized, but more importantly make sure that you aren’t overwhelming yourself. Put you first. Set priorities, and get rid of things that aren’t necessarily important. After a stressful week try to relax, and just watch tv, or take a nice bath. Personally I eat an unhealthy amount of ice cream,” says Callé Hansen, Arts and Entertainment Editor.

“I sit in my room in the dark listen to music or watch FRIENDS. I put what I need to do first in priority. I eat food, it makes me feel comfortable,” says Dallen Cameron, Sports Editor.
“Use your phone as a calendar, also listen here friends – I invested in some GREAT study habits.  All you need to pass your classes is a bag of the mini Twix bites, a bathtub, and Rohtos cooling eye drops. Now the Twix bites and the bathtub are subject to change based on your preferences, for me learning how I could relax and work to my full potential really helped me junior year.  I work best when I have a nice little snack and I write my best essays when I’m in the bathtub. Whatever floats your bowl of depression Cheerios (a fact that I also learned in the bathtub).  Now the cooling drops are $5.00 at Target and they feel like a long nap after a hard day. They keep your eyes nice and lubricated for 8 whole hours and make studying late at night a heck of a lot better!  ((Or learn how to order coffee the right way)),” says Payton Wright, Editor-in-Chief.

“Go to bed early, and get some quality sleep. Also, naps are great. I’m not the biggest bath fan, but a good shower always helps to clear my mind. Making lists of things you need to do, and writing down the things you have been able to accomplish is very rewarding and can help make things less overwhelming. I’ve recently taken up bullet journaling- it’s a great way to plan out your schedule, and get into a routine,” says Aspen Earnhart, Feature Editor.

“I like taking periodic breaks while doing homework. After doing homework for about 20 minutes, it’s good to stand up and walk around for a bit. This will help you refocus and feel less stressed. I also try to stop doing homework by a certain amount of time. By a certain point, I’m no longer productive, and trying to finish everything while sacrificing sleep is a bad idea in the long run. To help me feel less stressed, I really like to watch funny movies and tv shows. Laughing is good for you, and not focusing on crappy things helps you gain perspective,” says Isabella Ashton, News Editor.

“Take the entire day off. This means NO homework, school, work, not even family. Company is always great, but sometimes all you need is some space alone to relax, watch Netflix and eat whatever you want for once. Make yourself feel better after a hard week. You deserve it. Nap all day, go for a walk, listen to music all day, go shopping, even if you don’t actually buy anything. Every once and them we all need a break from life,” Bryan Banuelos, Spanish Editor.

“I like wear face masks to help calm my nerves while I play music. Belly dancing with my siblings takes off the weight on my shoulders,” Sarah Al-Barakawi, Opinion Editor.
“I like to make lists. I make one giant list of everything that I need to do/turn in, and then I make another list where I rewrite everything according to its priority. I pick the three things that absolutely need to get done today or that I can get done quickly, so that I can cross something off the list and feel like the day wasn’t a complete failure. I also like to reward myself at the end of a hard week. I’ll watch a movie, binge watch a TV show, or play video games with my little brother. This gives me something to look forward to,” says Audrey Helm, News Editor.

“I usually take a bath with a lavender bath bomb, or watch some of my favorite tv shows to relax. When I get really stressed, I usually take a walk outside with my sister or even just around the house, or sometimes I play around with my cat,” says Piper Cawley, Opinion Editor.

While none of this is guaranteed to fix every problem in your life, it might help you deal with them a little better. Advice is advice, and you can do what you will with it. If you’re struggling to deal with stress and feel overwhelmed, maybe try some of these things and see if they’ll help. It can’t hurt just to try!