Put on comfortable clothes and go out for a walk. Walking helps clear your head so that you can collect your thoughts.Take one evening a week just to chill out. Snooze, read a book, or play a game with friends.Take a warm, soothing, herbal bath: combine bay leaves and thyme, and tie them in a washcloth. Throw it into the running bath water with a cup of salt.Write in a diary and make entries at least twice a week. Keep track of how you feel. Don’t hold anything back.Listen to your favorite music. Paint a mural or self-portrait. Keep a journal of your dreams.Try to relax all the muscles in your body by first tensing them and then letting them go. Work from your toes on up to your head.Yoga and stretching are great stress reducers and body toners. Yoga promotes strength, balance, flexibility, good posture, and a general sense of well-being.To take your mind off problems, find a quiet spot, close your eyes, relax your body, and picture yourself in perfectly peaceful surroundings. When you are stressed or emotionally jammed up, close your eyes and take three very deep breaths, each time exhaling completely until most of the air is out of your lungs. This will refresh you and help you to think more clearly. Dance! You can twist and shake by yourself or find a broom to waltz with.
Friendship is good for your health
You probably already know how the support and companionship of friends makes your whole life better. But friends don’t just help to keep you happy-they may also help to keep you healthy. In a recent 13-year study, Harvard researchers concluded that friendship could be as important to human health as regular exercise! They found that people who have good friends experience less stress, recover more quickly from illnesses, and even live longer than people without good friends. You might wake up one morning and just feel like saying “Blah.” Maybe it’s raining outside. Or maybe you have to take a quiz you didn’t study for. Or maybe you had a fight with your brother or sister the night before and said mean things to each other. Or maybe you don’t know why you feel bad. Feeling blue, or depressed, can happen to kids and adults. It usually last a day or two and then passes. If you keep feeling blue for days and days, try to talk to someone about your feelings. Parents, teachers, school counselors, or religious leaders are all people who can help you.
