Stress, anxiety, panic. These are a few words to describe how high school can feel sometimes. So how can we help manage these problems? Here are five ideas to consider.

1. Grounding: Grounding is a way for us to get back to where we actually are in the world when we begin to spiral out. The way that I do this is by naming five things around me that I can see, four things that I can touch, three things that I can taste, two things that I can hear and one thing that I can smell. By doing this I am observing my surroundings and reminding myself of where I actually am.
2. Exercise: I know it’s hard to get out of bed and snap out of watching Netflix obsessively. Even if you just did sit- ups while watching TV, you can reduce stress. Putting the physical stress of a workout on your body can actually relieve mental stress. Exercise can also help you sleep better. And when you exercise more, your confidence can boost up which could take some stress off of your mental state.
3. Lighting a candle: Soothing smells that can help include lavender, rose, ylang ylang, orange or sandalwood. Using scents to treat your mood is called aromatherapy.
4. Therapy: I can say from personal experience that therapy can help reduce stress. Therapy is not something that makes you weak; rather, it makes you stronger as a person and the therapist can give you good tips on how to cope. If therapy is something that you are considering I would recommend going to Kaiser.com and looking through therapists to find someone that is fit for you. When looking for a therapist you can be as picky as you want because therapy is about helping you. The Kaiser website gives you therapist’s profiles and gives you the opportunity to read through what they specialize in and some facts about them as a person.
5. Learn how to say no: Saying no can be hard when a friend or family member is asking a favor. But if something comes up and you do not want to do it, you have to be able to say  no. This is especially true if you find yourself taking on more than you can handle, as juggling many responsibilities can leave you feeling overwhelmed.