FIORINA TIBERN Class: 1/7
As a teenager, I suffer a lot of stress daily. Singapore is a stressful country to live in as it places a lot of importance on education which I find a chore. Under these circumstances, I have found several ways to manage my stress and keep it at healthy levels.
Firstly, I like to decrease my stress from the source in the first place. In this case, I often get stressed over having to study so much. As such, I decided that I should make the act of studying more fun for me. I personalise my notes by highlighting them and writing little encouraging phrases on them to keep me going. Organising my notes into a mindmap helps me to be less overwhelmed by all the information hence I panic less. Instead of cramming last-minute studying or overworking myself, I keep a timetable that lets me study for a while every day to keep me prepared. This technique helps me keep away the stress of studying, and the stress of being worried for my examinations.
Secondly, I like to listen to music. I enjoy most types of music, but what I jam to usually depends on my mood. When I feel stressed, listening to a comforting ballad usually helps to calm me down. Music helps me relax, and provides an outlet for my emotions. When I’m frustrated, playing heavy metal songs helps me to let out my anger and blow off some steam. When I’m studying, playing music also helps me to focus better. All in all, music improves my mood and is my go-to method when I’m stressed about anything at all.
Sometimes I like to exercise outside and enjoy the scenery. I usually take jogs around my neighbourhood or at a nearby park. This helps me to clear my head and rationalise my thoughts rather than get too caught up in my stress. Admiring greenery lets me take a breath of fresh air and just cool down. Nature is enjoyable to observe, even though I am usually too buy to appreciate it. Not to mention, I usually get antsy when stressed and this gets rid of it. Reflecting while exercising has saved me from a lot of bad decisions that I was about to make in the heat of the moment.
There is also a method that stands out from the others that I utilise because it involves other people. I use it when a problem is way too much for me to handle alone and when I wish for some company. My method is venting to close people and sharing my troubles with them. When a situation feels really stressful and I’m about to break down, it really helps to have someone to catch me and soothe me, telling me it’ll be alright. It reminds me that my problem is not the end of the world and that there are good things in my life. Sometimes when I vent, the person I’m sharing my problem to can provide valuable insight or new outlook I never thought of. The person can reign in my overreacting mind and keep me on track. It spares me the effort of having to bottle my stress up and dealing with it alone. The person can call me out if I’m overreacting, or show me different viewpoints to understand the situation better. Knowing that someone is giving me their time of day because I’m just that important to them is in itself comforting. Having someone empathising and providing a listening ear just makes me feel better.
I enjoy writing, and reading fanfiction, or just whatever comes to my head. It’s a form of escapism from this world and its troubles – getting lost in another world. It immerses me in a thrilling fantasy that life cannot satisfy, and calls to me from the depths of my sorrows. Most of all, it’s a form of expression. I can write and be inspired by my sorrows and use it to bring inspiration to someone else. Taking my sorrows and creating art with it feels incredibly fulfilling. It reaches out and connects me with characters, others, that could possibly feel the same. It could help others understand these sorrows as well. Everyone has something that they enjoy doing, not necessarily writing, that they should keep doing. This joy of doing something you love is a constant, an anchor in the storm which will definitely lift you during moments of stress.
Stress is an undeniable part of living in a cosmopolitan city like Singapore. However, even teenagers like me can relieve stress by engaging in such meaningful activities.
Writers by the River 