Life
You Need To Read This Teacher's 101 Stress Tips
For the most part, we Millennials live in a perpetual state of stress. So we're always all ears for advice, happy to read article after article, and not even wincing at the size of something like a list of 101 stress tips — we're just happy to entertain any suggestions that will make our lives easier and less overwhelming. It's not easy for everyone to ask for help or even realize that they need help. It's only when we come across meaningful advice that resonates with us that we realize how much we needed it.
Between work, our relationships, and our personal responsibilities, it's easy for us to get stressed out, especially if you're not the kind of person to have a strict management system in place. When a high school senior named Lina shared a handout her new psychology teacher gave her, the teacher quickly became the target for a lot of praise and encouragement. Twitter rejoiced — they decided the advice was solid and the post has been receiving thousands of retweets and replies — people are grateful for it and find it inspiring. Skeptical as I am, I have to wonder, could all 101 tips really be good advice? If there are that many obvious tips, would we have so much trouble figuring out how to destress? Here's all 101 stress tips at a glance — as you might have expected, some are stronger than others:
Here are some of my favorites:
Get Up 15 Minutes Earlier
Yes, this is fair — the earlier you get up, even if it's not by much, the more time you have to ready yourself for your day and show up prepared. You've got a better shot at bringing your A game when you've had a few extra minutes to yourself.
Prepare For Your Morning The Night Before
Yes, as often as you can, you should. Set up your clothes like a fireman would, just pop out of bed and slide into them, it's so nice to not have to think about outfit planning in the morning.
Repair Anything That Doesn't Work Properly
This might seem obvious, but it's definitely something we all neglect to do. We just get used to broken phones and wobbly heels. Make it a priority to fix things once they're broken so that you can always rely on them performing to the best of their function.
Practice Breathing Slowly
Teaching yourself breathing techniques for de-stressing is important. When you're feeling overwhelmed, focus on your breathing and slow it down. Take long, full breaths and hold them for a few seconds before you exhale. This will help you bring things back into focus.
Keep A Journal
Writing things down is not only good for stress management, but it's also good for emotional strength and growth. Keep track of your thoughts, write everything down, have a record of your life. It's helpful to look back in it, and it will help you remember things you might otherwise forget under stress.
And now here are some of the tidbits that I think are ridiculous:
Avoid Tight Fitting Clothes
Unless you're personally stressed out when you're wearing tight clothes, this tip doesn't apply to everyone. It implies that we feel uncomfortable when we're not hiding our bodies. Dress however you want. Tight pants, sweat pants, whatever makes you feel like yourself and whatever is the least distracting for yourself.
Avoid Relying On Chemical Aids
Some people rely on chemical aids for survival. This tip implies that chemical reliance is a bad thing and that aids are not essential. But for millions of people, they are. Do what your doctor thinks is right for you. There's no reason to associate chemicals with a negative.
Tickle A Baby
I mean, don't tickle a baby. Unless you have permission to.
Work At Being Cheerful And Optimistic
These are not traits that you just blindly develop. You can't just decide to be cheerful; you have to feel it. And while you can encourage yourself to focus on the good more than the bad, you don't need to be a cheerleader in order to have a stress-free life. You can just be yourself. There's something degrading about "working on being cheerful." Don't you think?
Maintain Your Weight
Making sure you put your health first is valid, but maintaining your weight? If you want to focus on eating healthily and getting exercise because it makes you feel good, that's one thing. But your end goals shouldn't be about your weight, whether it's losing or maintaining it; the focus should be on how you feel.
