Everyone has stress. Every teenager has stress. Every child has stress. Every old person. Every mother, every father, every Otemae teacher, and every living creature in the world can have stress.

If you feel stress you must understand some important things about stress.

The first thing you must understand is that all people have stress. If you have stress, your friend will have stress, your teacher will have stress, your family members will have stress. Having stress is not a problem only for you. If you understand that you are not alone to have stress that is a good feeling. You will understand that you are normal, because it is normal for all people to have stress.

So, how do we manage stress? How do we fight stress that we have?

Because you are students here at Otemae you will have a lot of stress with your studies. You will have a lot of homework and a lot of tests. But this stress is a good stress for you. If you have some stress for your study and must fight a little you will become stronger. If you do not understand something and you fight hard to learn more you will become smarter and stronger. Your teachers here at Otemae understand how to give you “good stress”. Good stress will make you a smarter person. Good stress will make you a better musician or sports player or computer technician or a scientist.

But there is also a lot of unwanted stress too. We can call this bad stress. Bad stress is a kind of stress that does not help you become stronger. Bad stress can damage your health. Bad stress can damage your sleeping time, resting time, and also your friendships too.

Let’s talk about a few ways that you can manage bad stress.

One: Have some exercise. If you do a little activity, go for a walk, a short run, ride a bicycle, dance in your room, or play a sport your heart will feel great. The brain needs to break from stress and sometimes a quick run around your neighborhood will make you feel great. That energy can be used for positive work and study too. Move your body to shake out the stress.

Two: Breathe slowly. When you feel some bad stress or a panic, try to control how you breathe. Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Count to ten. Count to twenty. Count to fifty. Stop and think how you feel. If you feel better go back to your work or study, and start up again slowly. If you need more time, take more time. Breathe slowly.

Three: Listen to music. Find a happy song and play it. Find a fast or noisy song and play it. Find a calm and lovely song and play it. Find a song that you like and put your headphones on. Music is a great healer for the human heart. Listen to music.

Four: Go out in Nature. A short walk by some trees or by water can help you a lot. We humans know that nature is our great healer. Touch some trees. Touch some earth or plants. Think about the things you are looking at. Spend a short time in nature and shake out your stress.

Five: Pets. If you have a pet go and touch and play with your pet. If you have fish, don’t touch them so much. We know that pets can give us a lot of healing. A few minutes with a pet will make you feel better.

Six: Talk to an older person. Talk to your mother. Talk to your father. Talk to your grandmother or grandfather. Talk to your teacher. Tell them that you don’t feel so good. Ask them what to do about stress. An older person may have some ideas, and an older person may just sit and listen to you talk. Sometimes talking with another person is a good way to shake off your stress.

Seven: Take a bath or a shower. A quick bath or shower can help you reset your mind and body. Spend a few minutes in a quiet bath and relax your mind. That is a powerful way to release stress.

Eight: Sleep. Of course you must not sleep in your classes, but you must get enough sleep at night. Study hard and work hard. But at the end of the day go to bed at a good time. It is okay not to be perfect. It is okay sometimes to work a little slowly. But it is not okay to damage your body and mind by not sleeping enough. Reduce your time with a cell phone and computer and close your eyes at night. Sleep is a great healer for your mind, and sleep can help you have a clear mind in the morning.

We all have stress. We all have troubles. So, when you have stress and trouble please take care of your body and your mind. You are important. You are needed and people love you. Don’t get too much bad stress.

Good luck with your studies this week.