This week let’s talk about ways to manage stress.
How can I manage my stress?

• Be realistic in your expectations of yourself and others.
• Manage your time.  Don’t put yourself in crunch time situations to study or get a school project completed.
• Develop healthy habits: eat well, get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, and avoid soda with caffeine.
• If you are having a problem, talk it over with a trusted friend or adult.
• Take appropriate action.

There are four keys to coping:

1. Problem solving – the ability to deal directly with, not avoid, the problems you face and make positive changes to resolve them.
2. Communication – the ability to honestly share thoughts and feelings with others to promote mutual understanding.
3. Closeness – a comfort level with others and the ability to connect with people in your environment.
4. Flexibility – an openness and ability to respond to change.

Healthy Coping skills are…

• Knowing that we control our lives
• If we have conflict or failure, we can change the situation.  (There is no such thing as a mistake.  If we learn something, it is a LESSON.)
• If we can’t get what we want, then we can make a situation the best it can be.
• Sometimes we have to ACCEPT that a situation IS the best it can be.
• Accepting an unfortunate situation causes us pain because we don’t want to lose something we want.
• Pain is temporary; IT PASSES WITH TIME.