📣Welcome to the Whinypaluza column called Teenage Tuesdays, written by Rebecca's daughter Ella Greene, who is 16 years old!
➡️Look forward to a new blog from Ella from a teenage perspective on Tuesdays!

Steps To A Reset

With AP exams right around the corner and all the end of the year events on the horizon, I think everyone can understand why I was stressed last week. It just felt like one task after another with no room to breathe. With each item I crossed off my to-do list I got closer to realizing that I needed to reset, here are the steps I took.

1. Stop and breathe

This is always step one for me. I knew I had to come home from school and actually take some time for myself before I got even sicker than I was. But, this is way easier said than done; it takes confidence and self awareness to take a break. The way to get that confidence is by trying to be as present as possible. Simply taking breaths and understanding how you’re feeling can help you learn when you need a break. 

2. Actually take a break

Put the computer down, close your bedroom door, or whatever else you need to do to force yourself to stop being productive. Just take a deep breath and be a human for a while. While it may not work every time, it certainly couldn’t hurt.

3. Brainstorm ways to reframe

Once you’re calmed down, the next step is the most fun part (in my opinion). Reframing the situations that stress me out makes me feel so much better. The first step to doing this is identifying the things you’re worried about and thinking of other ways to look at them. For example, if I’m stressed about AP exams, I can think about how excited I am to see what they ask about (or what people post about the exams afterward).  Thinking about exams this way calms my nervous system and allows me to relax, something we all desperately need. 

4. Sleep 

I know this may sound silly, but sometimes sleeping works wonders. When I’m really busy, I’ll feel guilty about going to bed early. But, why should I feel guilty for doing something that my body needs? No one should sacrifice their physical and mental health for anything, and if you start to feel like you need to, go back to step one. 

5. Find a new way of doing things 

You don’t wanna end up stressed and sick again, do you? I think not. So, spend some time thinking about how you can change your routine. I decided that I will try to stop comparing myself to others. While I may not be 100% successful, the awareness and effort should help. Whatever it is that made you stressed in the first place, try to figure out if there’s even a little habit you can change that will make you feel better. 

No reset has to be perfect. You could follow all of these steps and still feel tired and stressed. That’s okay. A mountain can’t turn into a molehill overnight. Give yourself the grace to be upset, stressed, or whatever it is your feeling, because trying to resist your emotions just makes them bigger.

I found this helpful and I hope that you find some usefulness in it too.

Until next time, 
Ella Greene.

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