Is food really a fix?

Hope everyone has had happy and stress-free holidays! I know I've been having a good break so far-it's definatly going to be hard going back to school! But anyway, this week I wanted to talk about how eating healthly can reduce stress. Now I know how hard it can be to eat healthy; after a long, draining day you just want something thats quick, easy and yummy, not something nessicarily healthly. But, when you eat these junk foods, your body is deprived essential vitamins and doesnt recieve balanced amounts of protiens, fats ans carbohydrates. Thus, the body isn't able to regulate everything as effienctly because it hasn't been fueled properly, which causes you to feel sluggish and tired. Combine that feeling with mounting stress,  and combating your problems becomes ten times more difficult. So recently, I did a little experiment and for a week straight I only ate healthy, well balanced meals. Within a few days that sluggish feeling went away and by the end of the week I had much more energy. I felt better able to accomplish tasks and fight stress, which in turn help me feel less stressed! Not only did I feel better, but by the end end of the week I had lost a pound! And that always makes anyone feel a little bit better ;)

FINALS!!

Its that time of the year again...FINALS. For many students, finals can be one of
the most stressful times of the year, so, to help battle finals stress, here are my tips to help you stay stress-free..or at least sane through finals.
1. Don't procrastinate. Start studying early; use those extra ten minutes that you use to check instagram to review some of your notes. Trust me, the time adds up. You'l feel less worried about knowing the information, cause you've been reviewing, and wont have to cram nearly as much. This rule also applies to projects. Get them done ahead. That way you won't have to spend valuable study time on them and you have enough time to go back and fix them if you need too. Its a double win.
2. Set up a study date with a friend. Sometimes, having another person can aide your studying since they can quiz you or explain things in a better way. Plus, its always nice to spend time with a friend :), espically when your stressed.
3. Use online resources. I'm the type of person who gets extremely bored of just reviewing notes, so I often search online for what i'm studying and use one of those resources instead. Many teachers have their own quizzes too, so feel free to browse teacher website too.
4. Finally, on the day of your finals, eat a breakfast and brings snacks. Nothings worse then being grouchy and hungry. Along with this, be sure to get sleep the time before; sleep gives your brain time to sort through all the information its learned.

Good Luck!!

UN-Pleasant Passiveness

When meet with a problem, sometimes the best solution seems to be to take the passive route. One may assume that it would minimize the chance of an argument from happening and may make someone feel like they're just doing the "nice" thing. But most of the time, not clearly setting boundaries only causes that person more problems and thus more stress. By being passive, one provides the person they are confronting with an opportunity take advantage of them, which never ends well. So while it may be easier to take the passive route, if you want to protect yourself it is much better to remain assertive when talking to someone. Being assertive isn't easy; sometimes you can take it one step to far and act aggressively, or you can fall back a step, and remain passive. So, to keep from being either of those, sometimes it is helpful to remember LADDER. L-look at what you want and examine how you feel, A-arrange a meeting; don't randomly confront them, D-define the problem, D-describe your feelings to the other person, E-express what you want clearly, and R-Reinforce the other person by explaining mutual benefits. Remember not to attack the other persons, keep a calm tone and don't feel guilty about asking for something. Even if you don't get what you want, you have set a fair boundary that people can respect.

**LADDER taken from: http://www.mindtools.com/stress/pp/Assertiveness.htm

Ahhh....

Sometimes, the best ways to de-stress, is to just relaxxxx... I personally think their's nothing better than the feeling of having nothing to do and being able to spend a few hours just resting. But, like most people, I very rarely have enough free time to do so. So, recently, I have been trying to incorporate little burst of relaxation into my hectic schedule. On a daily basis, I like to listen to calming music, give my self a small temple rub, or even just close my eyes and take a few deep breathe. During the week though, I always try to find a few minutes here and there to treat myself to a longer period of relaxation  For example, I might squeeze in a short session of yoga or take a hot bath instead of a shower. The small pleasure of having this  time to relax has really help relieve a lot of the stress I feel through out the week, and I have found I am also more focused and alert after than I am if I just push through the day without any breaks.

Managing Your Stress: A Plan

So this week, while browsing the web, I find this great site (This is it!). Though, it had a variety of interesting stress-related topics, I found this page on stress management the best. It has a clearly outlined and simple plan for developing a system to managing your stress,one that I found intriguing. The plan is comprised of four simple steps. The first step is to identify the source of your stress- they recommend you do this through something like journaling. The second step is to organize and prioritize your stresses, then to figure out how to manage these issues. They recommend using their key (Here's the link to that), to figure out what you need to do to manage each kind of stress. And finally, once you have identified what options you like best, to create a plan or schedule around those ideas.

Getting some Zzzz's

One of the best things to do when your stressed is to SLEEP. Whenever we don't get enough sleep, our bodies become sluggish, causing us to lose efficiency- which when your stressed, only amplifies your pain. Now getting some Zzz's may sound like a simple thing to do, but when your stressed and have a million things to do, it's hard. So, when my minds racing and I can't fall asleep I use these tricks:
1. Try putting some lavender scent on your pillows. The smell always calms me down and overtime the scent will become affiliated with sleep, helping you fall asleep faster.
2.Try and stop doing distracting or heavy activities before bed. For example, I always have to stop doing homework at least an hour before bed, along text or socializing on the computer because otherwise I'm still focused on them.
3. Try developing a "going to bed" route. Sometimes just brushing your teeth and washing your face  can remind you of going to bed and get you in the mood for sleep.
4. Try reading before bed. **Side note: This works for many people, but if your like me, it will only energize you and you'll end up reading all nights. So, with that said, I prefer to watch TV.
5. If your minds still racing, try writing everything down on paper; whether it's a to do list or just random thoughts,just get it down out of your head can help you fall asleep.
Hope this helps!
And Happy Thanksgiving!

Puppy Dog Eyes

I have three beautiful dogs, Mrs. Lily, Mr. Guiness, and Grandpa Max. All of whom are the cutest dogs you'll ever meet. Yet, beyond being just plain adorable, my pups are often one of the best outlets when I'm stressed. I mean, who can feel sad when an adorable puppy is looking up at them? And on those days that I'm feeling really down, my dogs are always there. They'll  come up and let me pet and snuggle with them, they'll even let me rant, sitting patiently and attentively, as if they really knew what I was saying. Besides being good listeners, pets can also improve your health. Who knew that stroking your favorite dog or kitty actually lowers your blood pressure. So, no excuses, go give your dog or cat some love! 

Guiness & Lily
-Grandpa Max was too big to play :(

Battle stress!

One of the best ways I've learned to deal with stress is to set aside time for physical activity- I've found nothing clears the mind like a good jog.  Not only do you get to zone out, release any frustrations and listen to your favorite songs, you also get the extra health benefits! First off, you get that rush of endorphins which produce natural "feel good" chemicals in the body. Secondly, exercising helps one maintain a healthly weight, and being that I am a girl, I know how stressful a few extra pounds can be. And lastly, exercise improves your cardiovascular  strenght, which is always good. Now I know running isn't for anyone, but there are some many options out there: swimming, hiking, walking the dogs, playing some basketball or tennis,etc.  You can even enlist a friends help by having them exercise with you to keep from getting bored! So I suggest you try it soon:)

Tick'toc

Hi everyone!

From: http://homeex.s3.amazonaws.com/photos
/249971/2.fisheye_beach.jpg

Sorry its been awhile since my last post! ( I was on vacation without a computer. Aloha from Hawaii ------->)
 I know have previously talked about how stressful a busy schedule can be and the best way to combat that can be developing a better system of time management. So, this week, I thought I'd post somethings I like to do to keep my schedule better managed.
1. Write down everything you have to do! That's my number one rule. It not only does it make sure you won't forget anything, but having it all written down helps me visualize what I need to do. And its always is a nice sense of relieve to check them off : )
2. To stay focused, I like to set goals. Yet, instead of setting one big, daunting goal, I like to break one goal down into more simpler tasks. Lets say for example I want to finish my Bio project my thursday, instead just writing down BIO PROJECT on my to do list, i'll break it up each day. Monday, i'll pick a topic and find three informative sites on it. Tuesday, i'll write the first three paragraphs of the write up and the last two on Wednesday, along with a quick proof read.
3. I prioritize my to do list. Now I tend to be overly organized, and highlight the items in order of most importance, but overall I think its important to keep a mental note of what needs to be done first and plan your schedule around that.
4. Lastly, I like to keep my distractions to a minimun. I know how tempting it can be to have your phone next to you or the t.v. on while your doing homework, but they always end up making the task ahead of you longer, which only pushed everything else you need to do back too. So, i've learned to keep my phone somewhere else and to use music instead of the t.v. because it doesn't distract me.
I know these help my hectic schedule, hope they can help yours!

Resource Relieve

This week i'm going to keep the post short and sweet, and just link some resources I find helpful. These sites explain stress, causes, side effects and even prevention tips. Check them out!
Seven Tips to Relieve Stress
Teens and Stress
Stress Management for Teens 101
Teen Health: Stress

Hope you find them helpful :)

Stress Test???

Have you ever heard or taken a stress test?  I had never heard of one until this week. One of the organizations i'm involved with was talking about it and thought it was interesting. So I decided to take one. I just googled stress test and used the one that came up first or second in google (http://stresstest.net/). The test was nothing like I expect, and honestly there's probably better options out there, but overall I think that idea of a "stress test" is very informative. On the their scale 3.4, between stress and very stressed (literally borderline). Now, while this test did say a little about what that meant, I wish they had provided more information. Like what you could do to help lower your stress level,  or even provide an additional test that could help you pinpoint the main stress in your life. Anyway, those are just my thoughts. If you have any I would love to hear yours :)

L.O.L.

People always say laughter is the best medicine. And, for the most part, I agree. So, this week I thought I'd share my favorite youtube videos. Maybe you'll laugh too!

Surprise Party 

Where's Bea?

Call Me Maybe?

                  And:

ANY Lonely Island/ SNL digital shorts.

ANY Jenna Marbles video (excluding rants)

So thats it :) Sorry theres not more!

Welcome to Homecoming

I went out shopping today, and was pleasantly greeted by racks of colorful tulle and glitter. It was a little reminder that homecoming is around the corner. And it got me thinking, while homecoming  can be one of the best times, it can also be a very stressful time. I personally thing that almost every homecoming related even has both a good side and a bad side. First off, there’s the “ date drama”.  I am I going to get asked? If so, who? If I go with him what will people think? Whose group would we go in? Having been both dateless and with a date, I know how frustrating it can be. Don't get me wrong, going with a date was great. I mean honestly, there's nothing like the rush of getting. But I never expected the after part to be so stressful. While my date and I were friends, our friends weren't, so deciding on a group was really hard-no one wants to be without friends on homecoming! So we ended up creating a group with both of our friends, which only created even more stress. Since I tend to be a little OCD, I was the one on charge of coordinating rides, pictures, reservations, etc. And, wow, I never knew how hard it was to get a reservation for about 16 people, thats all i'm going to say. On the other hand, the next year I never got asked. But during the time before the dance I was so stressed about finding a date, then once the reality set in that I wasn't getting asked, I was so disappointed that I got more stressed. Then I had to figure out whether or not I was going and that was hard because I didn't want to be the lone single, but I thought that going in an all single group would make me look pathetic( It doesn't. Actually, I now wish I would have cause it seems like a lot more fun). In both situations share one of the most stressful aspects of homecoming though……Dress shopping. I love dress shopping, actually I adore it. But, I don't know what happens, whenever I'm standing there next to my friends in a potential dress, I seem to criticize every aspect of myself. Why are my shoulders so broad? Is my face always that oily? Ugh, she looks soooooo small. I defiantly need to lose weight before the dance. And then comes the awful "appearance stress". Its the cause of crash diets, tears and angry. I mean that alone is enough stress, the date and group stuff only adds to the tension of the delicate situation. And now that our homecoming is a little over a month away, all these stresses and annoying questions seem to circulate in my mind. Ugh. 

Demanding Sports

Though I no longer do cheer anymore, this friday at the football game, when I saw the girls cheering on the sideline, I remembered just how stressful sports can be. All the yelling from coaches, time crunched schedules, sore muscles, and pressure to win, can really take a toll. For me, I didn't even realize I was stressed. So without knowing it, I ended up causing myself both emotional and physical stress. Like I said earlier in the blog, I basically spent my whole life as a cheerleader- I did the the junior program, instructing, high school cheer, competition cheer, all of it. I loved it. But then last year, I wasn't getting the same rush that I normally did from it. I started dreading practice, something I never did before. And, instead of addressing it, I just contributed it to my larger load of homework. At the time, I had a new coach, who I didn't get along with, we had just won first at nationals, so we were under a lot of pressure to maintain that title, and the practice hours had been made even longer, so it was inly resonable that I was stressed, I just didn't want to admit it. Soon though, the stress started to affect my school and social life too. I was so tired that I couldn't focus on school, so my grades suffered and when my friends wanted to go out all I want to do was relax, so my social life suffered, which caused me even more stress. Yet I continuted not to address it, in fear of having to quit. So, stressed and emotional exhausted, I kepted cheering. One day though, that stress that I was feeling, started to translate into physical stress, and during one of our peformances I hurt my back. I know longer had the decision anymore, I was told that I had to take time off. So thats my story. And if there are any out there who feel as I did, just take a few minutes to asses your stress before you get hurt like I did.

Student Stresses????

Hey everyone, sorry its been awhile since I've last posted- My wi-fi has been down for forever! I just got it back tonight. Anyway, this week instead of blogging about my views, I wanted to ask you about yours.I know there's not many people who read this blog, but if anyone happens to have an opinion on the matter, I'd appreciate the comments. ( I'd actually appreciate the comments anytime :) ) So here it is, what stresses you out the most? I'd really like to raise more awareness about all the stresses that people go through, especially teenagers, and how it can effect them. So far, I only really have the things that stress me out: social dynamics ( cliques, friendships, etc.), appearance, family troubles, time management, school work, money issues, and bullying. And the consequences are things like eating disorders, cutting, suicide, and depression.So that's it, short and sweet. Feel free to post, and if there any other issues or ideas you have on the matter, feel free the post those too!
P.S. Along with the idea of raises awareness about certain things, what do you thing about talking about prevention strategies for each (basic tips to school assemblies, anything along those lines are options)?

Start of School Stress

I don't know about you, but I always get super stressed in the first month of school. Even though its one of the easier months, just getting back into the swing of everything stresses me out! Once summer begins I get so accustom to the relaxed schedule, that when I go back to school I get stressed just by having to manage my time. And even though I do it every year, each year I feel like it gets harder and harder. And its always the same things that I have to learn to balance: First off, you can no longer have an easy work schedule, you have to balance it around your classes and your other extra activities you have. Secondly, you have homework. And with that comes learning new material and refreshing your study habits. And finally, your social life. At the beginning of the school year, mine always seems to flare up. There making shirts, going to rallies and dances, etc. And while doing stuff with my friends is fun, sometimes with all the other stuff I have to do, it seems like I have no time for it. Hopefully this will all be over soon and I can finally get use to my new schedule. Anyway, if anyone else is going through this, feel free to vent, your defiantly not the only one, and good luck!

Its Never Easy to Say Goodbye

While I like to try and keep my blog as upbeat as possible, today I want to address a very serious issue that has recently affect me and many of the people close to me. This is issue is one that is all too common and should not be. It is one that needs even more awareness and support than ever. This issue is suicide, and here's my story.
This summer during July a friend of mine committed suicide. He was an amazing person: he was hilarious,caring, and loved by everyone, which has made it even harder to understand why this happened. Just thinking about what he must have been going through to do this make me cry.
For me the incident didn't set in right away, and it wasn't until the first day of school when I realized I'd never see him again. This idea has now become one that I have now been struggling with ever since. As I said, his presence was one of a kind, and having to accept that I will never get to see it again makes me cry. What made the pain of his death even worse was seeing what it did to his really close friends. His friends, who have always been good kids, are having such trouble coping with his sudden, unexplained death that they have  gone on a scary path trying to numb the pain. Which got me thinking, if his close friends are this upset, imagine how his own family must feel. The saddest part of everything though is that no one will every get to say their finally goodbye, and everyone is left questioning what they could have done differently to prevent this tragedy.
So this ones to you big guy. You will be forever missed. RIP.

 ****For anyone who ever feels as my friend did please talk to someone. No one should deserve to go through that kind of pain, espcalliy on their own. If something is making you so upset that it is pushing you to contemplate death it is obviously important. Don't take the pain lightly or feel embrassed to talk about it. You are not alone. Many others feel this way. And if you don't feel comfortable talking to someone you know, there are other resources out there: school counseluers, suicide hotlines, or even community health centers. So please, please talk to someone because you don't deserve to go through that. You are important.
***** For those of who have ever had to deal with a suicide, you know how hard it is to deal with and my heart goes out to you.

A Student's Worst Enemy: Procrastination

Since my last three blogs have been about dealing with stress, I figured I should keep this theme rolling. Time Management. As a student myself, this tends to be one of my BIGGEST stresses. I am a horrible procrastinator, always have been. I mean, just this summer I did it to myself again. I was assigned two books to read at the beginning of June, both due the second week of August, but just having gotten done with school, I figured I needed a break and decided to give myself the month of June off- I'd still have almost two months left. But, by the time July came the idea of reading still seemed like something I didn't really want to do. It was summer, I wanted to go out with friends, station myself in front of the T.V., basically just do anything other than stimulate my mind . So through out July I only half-way tried, maybe a chapter or two on the plane or  by the pool, but not a substantial amount. Before I knew it though it was August, so I finally started reading, and i've been having to cram myself with reading since. This got me thinking about all my procrastination, and if I really wanted to go through another school year like that, so lately i've been looking for ways to help me manage my time better. Here are somethings that looked interesting to me:

1. Keep a daily planner and each day think of one thing you can do on your project. Don't overwhelm your self, just pick one small thing. For example: for a book, pick a certain number of pages you have to read in one night, or for a paper, go paragraph by paragraph. 

2. Limit your distractions. Without the T.V., phone, or computer near by you might feel more obligated to work. Try leaving them in another room when you work.

3. Try doing the easy part first, ease into the task.

4. Or vice versa, try doing the hard part first, get it out of the way.

5. Work at a time when you feel most energized. Don't leave it till last when your tired and cranky, it'll just make you want to do it less.

6. Each time you do a little something on the project reward yourself; eat a treat, paint your nails, call a friend, whatever you like to do.

So those are my tips! Hope they work for you:)

Take a Chill---- the App

This last week I was on vacation with my cousin, and as with any two close friends do, we got to talking about everything thats going on in our lives right now; how stressful the thought of  going back to school is, her new move, boy troubles, the usual. And after a while, I remembered what I had blogged about last week, and was curious to know what she does to de-stress. She told me she used an app called "Take a Chill",  and out of curiosity (again), I had to buy it.  Its been about a week since then, but I just started to fool around with it a bit, and so far it seems pretty awesome. It has four parts to it, a "Stop/ Take a moment", which  is my favorite part because  I'm the kind of person who tends to get so caught up in my stress, and the app gave me some visuals and gestures that worked to calm me down. The other feature that I really like is the "Daily Activity", which is basically exactly what it says it is. For example, today's "to do" was appreciation. So, I had to say everything I appreciated about myself and my life, which was great because some times it's so easy to forget what you love and just get so lost in the in the stuff you hate. Its also has a great "Prep" or "Center Yourself"feature that allows you to almost meditate to release stress. The last feature the app has is a collection of songs, but unfortunately, I have not tried them yet. So, i'll have to save that for another time. Bottom line, while I like to do what I previously blogged about to de-stress, that doesn't everyone does. Therefore, the app provides a nice alternative method.

Relaxation Statioin

 I say there are two kinds of stress. The first stress is the kind of stress you get from day to day things,  like a hectic schedule (like me), lots of homework, long work hours, etc.  The second stress is the kind of stress you get from more traumatic events, like a parents divorce, friends problems, finical problems, or anything else along those lines. This stress tends to be the most painful, so i'll address how I cope with that first. For this kind of stress I have three steps that I like to follow.Step 1: Talk to someone! I cannot stress this enough. Just tell someone whats going on (it can even be a pet or stuffed animal), and jus have them listen. Right now you don't need to solve the problem, you just need to vent and clear your head a little, and you can even tell them that before. Step 2: Write down your problems ( sometimes just seeing them helps) and try to write down some ways you could help (For example, at the time in my life when I wasn't allowed to visit my sister and I missed her, I decided to  keep a scrapbook of things going on in my life for her so that the next time I saw her I'd be able to fill her in, but at the same time keep her in mind while I was doing this). Step 3: If neither of those thing work just give it some time and start the process over. You might just needs some distance to see the solution. Now for the day to day stress I have MANY things I like to do to calm myself down, so i'll just list the top five. 1. Take a bath with bubbles, candles, and book. 2. Go get some exercise, let the emotions out that way. 3. Cry, and if you can't watch a sad movie and let it out that way. 4. Paint your nails and listen to music. 4. Zone out in front of the T.V. 5. If none of these work, just lay down and close your eyes. Then envision a big box, and then watch all your problems get pulled into that box. And once that last one gets in there, imagine that you lock the box and throw it so far away that your problems cannot came back.  So, theres my advice, hope some of it works for you!!

Labeled for Life

The first issue I want to talk about are stereotypes, something that has given me a lot of stress in my high school career. In my first two years of high school I was a cheerleader, and therefore most of my friends were too. So people often thought that I, like them, was the “stereotypical cheerleader” i.e. either a mean, self-centered girl obsessed with her looks and always dated the "jocks" or a perfect, innocent Miss America pageant girl. But in reality, I was neither of those things.  I was the cheerleader who was rather shy, always tried hard in school, liked to be a bookworm, and was even part of a club devoted to help prevent bullying. Yet, even people who knew this, don’t wish to see me this way. What I learned was that once you do ONE thing to fit your stereotype and your labeled for life. But either way people labeled me it hurt. If I a was the mean, self-centered cheerleader, all because I liked to dress up for school, people also label me as unapproachable and, to be honest, a bitch.  And, if i was the perfect, innocent cheerleader because I liked to get good grades, people would then hold me to this unattainable standard. While both are detrimental in their own ways, it was the second one that really got to me. I was so often label this, even by my parents, that I started to believe it. Which, caused me a LOT of pain because "perfection" is so unattainable. Anyway, i'll keep this short and sweet. The point I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't use stereotypes against someone, because no matter if you think their good or bad, their still harmful. So as the saying goes, "don't judge a book by its cover."

Intro.

I woke up this morning trying to find the perfect way to start off this blog. But instead I decided that what was more important was that I get down what I need to say. So here it goes. Growing up I didn't always have the easiest time, contrary to what people often thought. I was the girl who was in cheerleading since she was little and whose mom always dressed her in the cutest clothes. But, what most people didn't know about me was that underneath that I was very upset. At the time, my parents had recently went through a divorce and I was struggling with my new stepmom. While I prefer not to get into the exact details of what occurred, it was severe enough to make my mom put me into counseling.  And I'm very thankful she did.  I have been in counseling since I was 6 and since about 12 off and on.  Counseling was able to not only help me battle the issues that I faced as a child, but also gave me the persecutive I have now; it taught me to give more empathy to others, to make time for myself, and that sometime the best solution for any situation is to talk it out. And essentially, that is why I made this blog as a place to talk about common high school stresses and ways to help ease them. So stayed tuned, I have more to say, and I hope you'll want to read it.