With crammed schedules and important senior dates coming up, stress is inevitable. However, it is important to ease your mind and emphasize the importance of good mental health, everyday.
There are many ways one can go about improving mental health by themselves. The first being staying active. Staying active looks different for everyone. There’s the option of the gym, sports teams, biking, and so on. Staying active can be a stress reliever and anxiety reducer. It’s not about simply performing to alter one’s appearance, but more so to change the course of one’s life. Being active is a form of self help and is scientifically proven to improve overall quality of life.
Although many forms of exercise can be done in the comfort of a house, I think it’s important to recognize how crucial being outside is for mental health. As the weather begins getting warmer, outdoor activities become more enjoyable. Studies show being in nature lowers your stress-hormone cortisol and decreases your heart rate. This means even a 20 minute walk in the morning or evening could be improving your health and all you had to do was take a stroll in the neighborhood.
On top of exercising, I think reading is a great form of self help. Unlike exercising, reading offers an escape from your own mind. You are able to thoroughly take on the thoughts and emotions of a character and forget about your own. Instead of overthinking or worrying about what the day may bring, you get to smile, laugh, or even cry about issues that aren’t yours. This release also alleviates a person’s own take on his/her own situations and feelings, making them not so terrible after all.
Oftentimes, many people haven’t picked up a book on their own since elementary school. I think many people would be shocked to find out how many genres of books there are and how you can easily find a book that is catered to your interests. When reading fiction, it’s easy to get carried away with turning the page and before you know it, you will have read half a book in one sitting. In my opinion, this is a very fulfilling feeling. Reading is not only something to look forward to, but something to take pride in.
So as the year comes to an end, many seniors will begin to feel stressed in these upcoming weeks and maybe even isolated and alone with how big of a life change after high school. Not everyone has the support system they need for these changes which can feel scary. A spiral in mental well being can ruin all the hard work one has put in for their future. It is for this reason taking care of your mental health is so important. It’s the little tasks we add into each day to make us happy that ease the stress of daily life.
