Many middle schoolers and people of all ages experience stress and anxiety. If you are a person who struggles to find solutions for anxiety attacks, or even just to relieve some stress, this article is for you. Even though this article won’t state every single strategy you can use to relieve your stress, there might be some that work for you!
Listening to Music
From my own experiences, I have listened to my favorite songs and separated myself from the stressful events that are going on. Making your own playlist of any songs you like can help you do this. Many people around the world suffer from anxiety and find music as their calming tool. Kiki Mang, a 7th grader here at Frelinghuysen, says,”I like listening to music that is upbeat that gets me in an upbeat mood, and rock music. I find that it helps to listen to music to become relaxed and gain more energy.” While Kiki likes upbeat music and rock music, you can listen to anything that makes you happy. According to Harvard Health, “A growing body of research attests that music therapy is more than a nice perk. It can improve medical outcomes and quality of life in a variety of ways.”
Draw or Doodle
Whenever you feel stressed, drawing could be a fun activity for calming down. Drawings could be anything from stick figures and smiley faces to big paintings. Art can come in many forms. Some drawing tutorials from Pinterest are shown below. YouTube also has so many great learn to draw videos.
If you are more interested in coloring, you can buy or print out detailed coloring sheets such as these from Pinterest.
Drawing and coloring are both very calming and satisfying activities that don’t make a mess and can become a beautiful masterpiece! Speaking of masterpieces, according to 1000museums.com and other sources, Vincent Van Gogh suffered from anxiety and depression throughout his life and used art as an escape, and many are familiar with the beauty came from him.
Make a Bullet Journal
If you’ve never heard of a bullet journal, these are notebooks with an array of dots so that you can design a calendar and reminders for the week. You can also add a weekly mood chart to see how your emotions have changed over the week. A bullet journal is a good way to be creative while organized at the same time. People with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), could also find this very helpful. It was actually my own therapist who recommended bullet journals to me!
Here are some examples of what a bullet journal can look like.
Although these are some amazing examples, your bullet journal can be whatever you want it to be!
Go for a Bike Ride
Bike rides are very relaxing, especially in the fall. Bike rides are very fun and you can bring along your friends and family, or enjoy the beauty of nature on your own. Some great biking spots in New Jersey are:
- Loantaka (Morris County)
- Patriot’s Path (Morris County)
- Jockey Hollow (Morris County)
- Henry Hudson Trail (Monmouth County)
- Columbia Trail (Hunterdon and Morris County)
- Paulinskill Valley Trail (Sussex and Warren County)
- Sussex Branch Trail (Sussex County)
Biking can be very fun on a sunny breezy day, too! Remember to pick a day that is not too hot, and remember your helmet! (Keep in mind that any form of exercise is a great outlet for stress!)
Talk to a Friend or Guidance Counselor
Sometimes, you may need to be alone, or you may just need to talk to a friend or someone you trust. At school, we have guidance counselors who we can email and choose a time to talk. If a counselor is unavailable, or it’s a weekend, you can invite a friend to meet up and talk, or call them on the phone. A true friend is always there for you, and they always have such great wisdom, or maybe they are just there to listen. Diore Bailey, a 7th grader at FMS, says, “I find talking to friends helpful, and if I get bullied, I know I can go to the guidance counselor. She takes care of me and she makes me feel better.”
Many middle schoolers experience being bullied, which can cause anxiety, and you should DEFINITELY speak to someone about it if that is the case. Find the people who are always there for you. Guidance counselors can be trusted to help. If you have a therapist, you can explain the situation to them too. According to Ms. Brown, a counselor here at Frelinghuysen, “I recommend people listen to their breath and do the 54321 technique. The way it works is that when you’re having an anxious moment or stressful situation, you look for five things in the room that you see, then listen for four sounds that you hear, and then identify three things that you can feel, then identify two things that you can smell, and one thing you can taste, and say it out loud. The reason why that tends to work for people is because it creates a temporary distraction that can help settle you down. If a student decides to see a counselor, about 95% of what they say is confidential, except for if someone is hurting you, if you want to hurt yourself, or if you want to hurt someone else. Should any of those three things come up, we are obligated to get appropriate people involved so that we can ensure everyone’s safety.” As you see here, there are always people there for you to talk to, to help relieve your stress!
To conclude, if you or someone you know struggles with anxiety and/or stress, now you have some great solutions to help you! If you know someone else who struggles with this, tell them about what you have learned here! We also welcome any of your own healthy ideas because your thoughts matter!
Works Cited
1000Museums: The World’s Leading Retailer of Museum-Approved Fine Art Reproductions – 1000Museums, http://1000museums.com. Accessed 12 December 2023.
“,.” , – YouTube, 5 November 2023, http://www.pinterest.com. Accessed 12 December 2023.
Annis, Robert. “Top 10 Trails in New Jersey.” Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 16 April 2021, https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/2021/april/16/top-10-trails-in-new-jersey/. Accessed 12 December 2023.
“Healing through music.” Harvard Health, 5 November 2015, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/healing-through-music-201511058556. Accessed 12 December 2023.
