By Nevalet Ceja, Staff Writer
April is Stress Awareness Month, a time to recognize how stress affects our daily lives and find ways to manage it. As an AP student and varsity athlete in flag football, along with being involved in clubs like HOSA, Key Club, Fashion Club, I know firsthand how overwhelming a busy schedule can be. Between practices, games, club meetings, and schoolwork, it often feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. While being involved is rewarding, it also comes with stress, making it important to find ways to stay balanced and healthy.
One of the biggest challenges I face is time management. With multiple responsibilities, it’s easy to feel stretched too thin. To stay organized, I use a planner to track assignments, practices, and events. Prioritizing tasks and setting realistic goals helps me avoid last-minute stress. I’ve learned that spreading out work and tackling small tasks each day makes everything more manageable.
Taking care of myself is just as important as staying on top of my schedule. Getting enough sleep, eating well, and making time to recharge all help me perform better, both academically and athletically. When stress builds up, I find relief in simple activities like listening to music, talking with friends, or even just taking a deep breath before a big game. These small moments of self-care keep me grounded.
Being involved in sports and clubs has taught me discipline and perseverance, but it has also shown me the importance of balance. Stress is inevitable, but how I handle it makes all the difference. By staying organized, prioritizing self-care, and knowing when to ask for help, I can continue to do what I love without feeling overwhelmed. Stress Awareness Month is a great reminder that taking care of my mental health is just as important as any game or competition.
By Samantha Ibarra, Staff Writer
April is designated as Stress Awareness month and for me it holds significance because an issue that plagues everybody in one way or another is finally getting a light shone on it and being made visible.
Stress can be caused by a multitude of factors, but for me what causes me the most stress is the feeling of falling behind. Whether it be not understanding math and falling behind in homework, or being the last one to understand a drill in my sport, the dreadful feeling of not being as good as everyone else plagues my mind.
I deal with this stress, however, by asking for help: through tutoring and through asking for directions again, I have learned to not be afraid to need extra help—we all understand things at different paces.
I say if you are struggling with stress it truly helps to talk to someone about it because in my own experience talking about it helps me identify the root of the stress and it helps me find a solution.
By Zarahi Silva, Staff Writer
Since 1992, Stress Awareness Month has occurred every April, serving as a reminder of the effects stress has had on a huge number of people around the U.S., both physically and mentally. Everyone, at least once in their life, has experienced stress and everyone handles stress differently. Sometimes stress can be a good thing. This type of stress is called eustress. It’s a type of stress with the same physiological effects as distress, but is much more manageable and actually enhances performance.
For me, stress has had a huge impact on my life, attitude, and relationships. It’s hard to handle stress when you’re constantly worried about what the future holds. I’ve caused other people distress due to my own, and I’ve dealt with sleepless nights, reminding myself of the things that stress me out. That is why, I’ve had to find ways to deal with this constant stress to minimize its effects on my life.
For one, I’ve found that music always relaxes me. Depending on my mood I could listen to relaxing mellow music or upbeat and energizing music. This has helped me distract my wandering mind, and focus on the lyrics, the melody, and the beat. I listen to music every single day, almost every second, as much as I can. I listen to music when I study, clean, or simply lay down and do nothing.
I also write everything I plan to do in a calendar, agenda, or planner so that I have everything in order. This helps me keep track of what I must do throughout the day/week. It also eases the stress of not knowing what’ll happen and prevents me from forgetting important information.
Finally, what I find helps ease my stress the most is getting active. I usually do some stretching, take a stroll, or go on a run. However, getting active for me could also look like cleaning and organizing my personal space. When I spend this time alone getting active, I can take the time to figure out solutions to my problems. Exercising also serves as a mood booster and stretching relieves muscle tension that could contribute to stress levels. As for organizing and cleaning, I tend to be a very organized person and it stresses me out when I can’t find what I need if it’s not where I left it, plus I’m a forgetful person so I need to keep everything organized in order to know exactly where everything is.
The one thing that I can say for sure is that when you’re stressed, doing what you like most is your medicine. Getting active, starting a hobby, even resting your wandering mind is always a good way to manage your stress. Talking to someone about your stress could also help you get feedback or a second opinion. You can talk to a friend or family member, or you could go to the wellness center here at CI to take a break throughout the school day. Know that the stress will go away at some point.
By Melissa William, Staff Editor
Distress is what most people think of when they hear the word stress. It’s the familiar misery of having all your effort, time, and resources being taken away; when living is a battle and it feels like the world is caving in on you. The start of college decision days for seniors, the month of pre-AP season for test-takers, and the end of another school year—April is a month of ballooning distress for everyone in CI.
Eustress is something most people are not as familiar with. Eustress is the positive feeling of stress: the feeling you get when you’re just about to get on an intimidating rollercoaster. Of course, it’s challenging just as any stress would be—but it’s a challenge that has the possibility of contributing long-term benefits for your well-being.
To combat the negative feelings of stress, I try to embrace them rather than run away from them. When I feel my nerves racing before a presentation, I remind myself it’s a good opportunity to practice my public speaking skills, reframing my anxiety as a positive driving force that’ll help me do well in the future.
I personally think it’s the best way to deal with manageable stress: approach it positively and remind yourself it’ll be worth it in the long run.
Though, I acknowledge this mindset isn’t applicable for every stressful situation. We don’t actively choose to be stressed, and it’s hard to convince yourself everything’s OK when it really… isn’t. Not every problem can be solved right away, nor can some problems ever be solved.
If you can’t find a direct solution to rid yourself of stress, attempt to cope with stress emotionally alongside reframing it positively through meditation, spending time with friends, or building your own relaxation ritual to reduce your stress!
Even if emotional-focused coping is often short-term, it’s really important not to neglect the benefits it will bring for your well-being. It will lead you to be better equipped to handle stressors with a clear mind in the long run. When you finally commit to a college, as you study for your AP Exams, and while you embrace the school year’s end, give yourself a pat on the back for pushing through all the stress around you.
