Welcome to our Stress First Aid Kit. This page is designed to help those who might be in the middle of a stressful crisis, as well as those who experience high stress levels in general and are looking for tools and strategies to cope. 

Often, different people find that certain tools or strategies work better for them than others. We recommend that you give each of the recommendations on this page a chance, to have the best chance of finding what works for you!

What is stress?

Stress is probably best described as a feeling of frustration, strain, or emotional turmoil. We often think of stress as a psychological phenomenon, but recent research shows that stress has intense physical manifestations as well, particularly when we are under stress for long periods of time. 

Stress is a perfectly normal reaction to certain situations in life. However, in today’s world, many of us experience much more stress than we should, from many different sources, and we are ill-equipped when it comes to how to process it. 

Here’s a helpful video from the TED-Ed:

Signs and Symptoms of Stress

Stress comes in many forms, and there are many signs and different ways that someone can tell that they are stressed. Some of the common symptoms include:

  • Feeling irritable, angry, impatient or wound up

  • Over-burdened or overwhelmed

  • Feeling Anxious, nervous or afraid

  • Feeling like your thoughts are racing and you can't switch off

  • Being unable to enjoy yourself

  • Feeling depressed

  • Losing interest in engaging with the community

  • Like you've lost your sense of humor

  • Experiencing a sense of dread

  • Feeling worried or tense

  • Feeling neglected or lonely

  • Existing mental health problems worsening

Meditation

Meditation makes you focus your attention and calm the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind, and causing high levels of stress. Meditation can create a sense of ease and help you balance the complex emotions that exist for all adolescents. One easy version of meditation is just deep breathing, which can be easily practiced at any time when you are stressed. Another great form of meditation is guided meditation in which you can truly clear your mind from stressors and take a break from the hyper-active world we live in.

Here are some great guided meditations:

Yoga

With its controlled breathing exercises and relaxing poses, yoga is a common way for people to destress. Yoga brings together the body and the mind, and it helps us to achieve peacefulness and balance, mentally and physically. You can do yoga in a class, or it is also equally effective on your own.

Here are some great yoga exercise videos:

Manage time spent on social media 

As much as we all love and are probably addicted to social media, it has some serious downsides. You might not realize it, but spending time on social media sites can become stressful, not only because of what we might see on them, but also because the time you are wasting scrolling on TikTok can be better spent enjoying time with friends, or enjoying some nice weather. A great way to manage this is by regulating the time you spend on social media by setting timers and alarms.

Eat some dark chocolate

Interestingly, a fun and yummy way to relieve stress is by eating some great dark chocolate. Just a small square of the amazing chocolate can calm your nerves because dark chocolate regulates levels of the stress hormone cortisol and stabilizes metabolism. Here’s an article explaining this tasty way to relieve stress. 

Sleep 

Sleep is something that we all need in our lives, but many of us struggle to achieve enough of it. Stress can negatively affect one's ability to get a good night's sleep, because it fills your mind and keeps you awake. Sleep deprivation then further increases stress levels, in a vicious cycle. By getting enough sleep, you can improve your mood, energy level, concentration and overall functioning.

Here is something to help you dive into a deep sleep:

Connect with others and stay engaged

Humans were made to be social, so it is very important to stay engaged in your community and connect with your friends. No matter if it’s at a sports practice, or just grabbing coffee, being with friends can be some of the best ways to de-stress and ease your mind. So, if you are feeling stressed, reach out to a friend to see if they wanna get a meal or go watch a movie, because it is a great way to relax and start fresh for the day. 

Taking a walk

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is remove ourselves from a stressful situation to gain some perspective. Especially if you’re stressing out at a laptop or phone, put the screen away and go for a walk, take a shower or have a cup of tea.