Healthy Ways to Handle Stress

Here are some more healthy ways to deal with stress:

  1. Take a break. Sometimes you need to step away from the stressful things. You can go for a walk, stretch, listen to a song, look at some of your favorite pictures, take slow and deep breaths, or smell things that make you happy. Do something else for a short time if you can, and then think of ideas that might make things better.
  2. Talk to someone you trust. This might be a friend, parent, teacher, staff member or another person who cares about you. Tell them how you feel and they will listen.
  3. Name your feelings. A lot of feelings cause stress. If you can name them that will help to keep them under control. If you are worried, say, “I am worried.” If you are overwhelmed, say, “I feel like I can’t handle this.” Whatever you are feeling, name it, write it, paint it, or say it out loud.