**The media below contains the opinion of an individual student and therefore does not represent or speak to the values of Vestavia Hills High School and Vestavia Hills City Schools**
With the first quarter ending shortly and the first semester being almost forty percent done, it is essentially guaranteed that most students are starting to feel at least the tiniest bit of stress. Whether that is due to friendships or the ever-growing amount of assignments each week, it is still important not to stress too much since it can have a negative impact on you. Luckily, Vestavia has plenty of resources for students, and I also have a great deal of experience with stress and combating it.
Firstly, if your stress is rooted in anything friendship-related, whether it means having a hard time making friends in your new classes or general friendship issues, reaching out to your school counselor could help tremendously. This advice depends on whether you feel comfortable visiting the counselor's office (located behind the main office) or emailing your counselor. All counselor emails and a number to call for counseling are listed on the official Vestavia Hills High School website under the school counseling tab. Your counselor is there to help and listen to you. Also, verbalizing your thoughts and feelings will help you a great deal. Talking issues like this out to an adult or even writing it out in a journal (which is a personal favorite), can help you manage the growing stress you get from things like an argument with a friend or trouble meeting new people in your classes. Additionally, your counselor will not only be able to lend a sympathetic ear but also help you manage that growing stress.
There are also plenty of ways to manage stress related to academics. This could be a class that seems to be a struggle for you, a more demanding class, or worries regarding college applications or employment after graduation. Worries and stress related to these situations often appear during the first semester. This can be partially due to the fact that many college applications have a deadline set in the winter. If that is what you are personally worried about, I would strongly recommend meeting with your counselor. As I said earlier, your counselor is there to help you, especially when it comes to things like planning for your own college experience. Speaking to your counselor is one of the best ways to manage any college-related stress since the counselors are specifically there for that. Additionally, if your stress is rooted in something more like a difficult or confusing class, peer tutoring is offered during all three lunch periods. Feeling more confident in your understanding in a class will not only help you feel less stressed but will likely improve your grades in that class as well.
Even if you do not have any major stress right now in regards to a friendship or certain class, I would still heavily recommend giving yourself a break from time to time. Stress can creep up on you, especially the closer you get to exam week. Overall, I would recommend reaching out to a counselor if you are feeling stressed or starting to feel stressed. Other options include journaling (if you enjoy that sort of thing), spending time with the people you love the most, and taking breaks from social media whenever possible. Trust me, as a junior here at Vestavia, these are my tried-and-true tips for managing stress.
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