Stress can happen anytime and anywhere, so it’s important to know how to handle it. As finals are approaching at Regina Dominican, many students are stressed and don’t know how to handle it.

According to “verywillmind,” “stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body’s response to anything that requires attention or action.”

The website also mentions that, “sometimes, the best way to manage your stress involves changing your situation. At other times, the best strategy involves changing the way you respond to the situation.”

When students were asked about stress levels with finals approaching,  junior Carlie Villa said, “I would say pretty stressed. It’s getting really hard like at home since I have all these things to do and I also have extracurriculars I have to attend to. But it’s just clashing, you know.”

However, to destress herself Villa said, “There’s no certain way that I’m trying to destress myself. I’m just staying up late and trying to finish my work on time.” 

Staying up all night will not help with stress management because an individual doesn’t get enough sleep. 

The article, “How Can Lack Of Sleep Cause Anxiety And Stress” published on mentalhealthanswers.org  states, “Teenagers need an average of nine hours of sleep to function well since they are still in the development stage with a variety of education and extra-curricular activities. Without enough sleep, anxiety and stress may emerge which can directly affect their everyday mood and performance. According to studies, people who have sleep disorders will most likely develop anxiety in the long run. And clinically diagnosed patients with anxiety usually exhibit symptoms like sleep disruption. The correlation between these two is yet to be determined.Research shows that lack of sleep causes the same brain operations that make an individual vulnerable to anxiety. While it’s not the major cause of anxiety, it can highly trigger its other signs and symptoms, adding intensity to the anxiety and fueling it to progress more.”

As staying up late can cause more stress and anxiety, here are some ways Virtua Health provides to destress yourself (see website for more depth information):

1. Breathing Exercises 
2. Meditate
3. Mindfulness
4. Call a buddy (your support person)
5. Some relaxing exercises
6. Exercise 
7. Be in moment of one of your senses 

Good luck on finals, Panthers!