Stress is a daily part of a high schooler’s life. Whether it is being involved in many different activities, AP classes, or social life, stress can affect a student’s grades and social life.

I, myself, deal with stress in various ways, depending on how I am feeling. I do have a top three ways that I deal with life and stress. Now, I do not know if anyone else has these  methods, but I find them to be quite effective.

The first method, and possible my favorite, is to listen to jazz while taking a nap. I wake up feeling refreshed, relaxed, and clear-minded. It does not really matter what type of jazz I listen to. It doesn’t even have to be jazz at all. Just some sort of relaxing, calm music. For example, listening to thrash metal may not be the best idea. The jazz album I listen to is called “Live at Grillby’s” by insaneintherainmusic. It is a jazz rendition of a video game soundtrack. It is so incredibly relaxing. If I feel extremely stressed, I add in rain sounds. Nothing beats stress like a good jazz album, rain sounds, and a nap.

The second method is cooking or baking. Not only do I get to eat delicious food afterwards, but it keeps my hands busy and keeps my mind off of whatever is causing stress. You can make anything you want. I love making bread, because it is incredibly fun and the dough lasts a very long time for another time if I make a lot of it and store it in a container in the refrigerator. Cooking is a creative way to get rid of stress and fills the stomach with delicious homemade food.

My last method is to binge watch a random show. I grab some food, water to stay hydrated, and turn off my phone. This is the ultimate way to totally clear my mind of all the stress and bad things in life. Totally isolating myself and just becoming a couch potato is a really great way to just melt into relaxation. The genre of show or movie does not matter. I usually watch anime because it has a lot of depth and I get emotionally invested in it, so finishing it all in one sitting is really nice.