We know — because they often tell us — that today’s students are busy, stress, anxious And fatigue. And trying to balance school, sports, group, friendships, relationships, extracurricular activities, family and hobbies can leave them feeling less than good.
So in this Student opinion questionwe invited them to read about what Times employees do take care of themselves, then share theirs. Here are some of their tips for maintaining and improving their mental, physical and emotional health:
Draw
Whenever I’m stressed, I draw. I know, I know, it’s a cliché, but it’s what I do. As a high school student, I generally have a stressful life, between schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and spending time with my family. To keep from going crazy, I often need to decompress. To do this, I put on some music, I take a pencil and I start drawing. If I didn’t do that, I would break down. Drawing allows me to escape all this chaos and just be.
— Lucas Kruger, Hoggard High School, Wilmington, North Carolina
Sleep a little
With school, sports, and homework, finding time to sleep well during the week is almost impossible. Taking time to just lay down and take a nap is by far one of the most important things to me. 2 hours. That’s all the time I need to recharge and feel good again.
Don’t get me wrong, online shopping also helps a lot, but there is no immediate energy boost. I set aside time every weekend possible to just take a nap. The amazing feeling of laying down after a long week and forgetting about all your responsibilities is by far one of the best feelings you can have.
— Kali Hatcher, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina
Cry
Crying, I realized, can be a good way to relieve excessive emotions. This leads me to understand why some people would need to cry. I then tried it myself several times and was able to experience its power, although I rarely do it because there is not much stress in my life if I prioritize it.
