Meeting due dates, always showing your best effort at practice, going to work after school and still fulfilling your social responsibilities can make the lives of every high school student pretty stressful. That can be very damaging to your health, which is why it’s important that you take some time to relax. A lot of people complain that they just don’t have time to relax because of all their homework and other responsibilities, but actually taking time to relax can often be the most productive thing you can do.

Although a certain amount of stress is necessary to be able to deal with difficult situations in your life, staying in a state of high stress for too long can be very damaging to your physical as well as your mental health. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue and tensions in your neck and shoulders are often the result of stress overload. Stress also elevates the levels of cortisol, a hormone that affects the function of your brain. So, if it’s very hard for you to concentrate, you have difficulties in making decisions or worry a lot, you are probably under very high stress and taking some time to relax might help you.

Other results of high stress can be feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety and low self- esteem. This can lead to an aggressive or defensive behavior. A lot of people also “escape” from their stress by drinking too much alcohol or smoking. 

If you want to live a healthy and balanced life and also be able to concentrate better in school, here are some things to help you relax. Taking some time to focus on your breathing – even if it’s only for a couple of minutes – can have an amazing impact. Just sit down in a calm place and breathe in through your nose as deep as you can and then out through your mouth.

Another way to relax is by putting your phone away and going for a walk in nature. Cellphones and especially social media cause a lot of pressure and stress because your friends always expect you to reply immediately and be active all the time. Spending a couple minutes, or maybe even hours, each day without your phone will take at least some of that pressure off you.

Meditation, yoga and stretching are also great ways to relax. But for everybody there are different ways that work. While some people relax best while running in nature, going hunting or just playing cards with friends, other people relax best by going cruising, baking or going to the movies. So do what works best for you and soon you’ll be more relaxed and see many positive improvements in your daily life.