Students discuss stress
For some, stress is associated with school, work or even personal relationships. Stress causes headaches, difficulty concentrating, sleepless nights, and changes in mood and appetite.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness article, “Managing Stress,” individuals are most susceptible to stress when they don’t get enough sleep, go through major life changes, or have poor physical health or bad eating habits.
Vanessa Gaeta, a 16-year-old Central Union High School student, said she is most affected by stress when she has a lot of homework or when she has somewhere to be.
“Stress can affect my sleep to the point where it turns into anxiety and over thinking, which is not good,” said Vanessa. “Stress is good because it helps motivate you toward your goals, but too much stress is not healthy.”
Southwest High School junior Abigail Osoria, 17, said stress is most influential when people pressure or expect too much from one individual.
Abigail said she believes the best way for anyone to deal with stress would be to be positive and uplifting.
“I just think about the positive and try not (to) let it get to me,” Abigail said. “Keep thinking positively and you will get through it.”
But Hannah Kemp, a 19-year-old student at Northern Arizona University, said she believes people are affected by stress because some don’t know how to properly handle their time or priorities. Kemp has had time to develop her calming skills, so she has some advice for those dealing with stress.
“My advice is to take a deep breath and think if this is of the utmost importance at that moment. If not then you can relax,” she said.
According to NAMI’s article, some of the ways to reduce stress would be to simply talk with someone and to set aside some personal time for yourself where you can practice whichever relaxing act you prefer and just unwind from your worries or cares.
Yasmin Osoria, a 19-year-old student at Imperial Valley College, tries to find the cause of her stress and eliminates it. Osoria doesn’t want stress to control her actions or emotions.
“Don’t stress too much because whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” said Osoria.