Stress and relaxation
Pressure points
Stress can be caused by lots of different things: growing up, home life, school, relationships, exams or moving
house. Sometimes several tricky situations happen at once, and that can really put the pressure on.
You're stressed if:
- your worries keep you awake and you can't sleep
- you can't concentrate for long
- your feelings go up and down a lot
- situations or worries make you get headaches/tummy aches/sore throats/go shaky or stiff.
...and relaaaaxx
The good news is that there are things you can do to help yourself chill out.
Switch off - go and do something completely different. Work out what makes you relax, then go and do it. Kick a
ball about, bake a cake, watch a DVD, read a gripping book - whatever works for you.
Talk to someone - what are family and friends for? Sometimes things can be worse if you keep quiet and don't share
the problem. Telling someone you trust can be a relief - and you can work out how to tackle the problem together.
Perspective - take a step back. How big is the problem? Some situations are terrible, and in that case you're OK
to feel what you're feeling. But sometimes our imaginations can take over and paint nightmarish pictures - if you
fail a test it doesn't mean you've ruined your life.
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