As students face a pandemic, new academic year and a constantly changing school environment, mental health can be negatively affected. 

The staff members want students to know they are not alone.

 “Reach out for help, we are always free,” Counselor Audrey Neuschafer said. 

Many tactics exist to help minimize stress, students have learned through trial and error which of these help and which do not.

“If I’m overwhelmed I try to take a couple breaths and possibly ask to use the restroom so I can walk out and cool off,” sophomore Riley Athy-Sedbrook said. 

Many believe breathing exercises are a good way to relax, reduce tension, and relieve stress.

“Those things that happen when you are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax,” the University of Michigan Medicine said. 

Stress can make a person feel isolated and entirely alone. Contrary to this belief, stress is a common occurrence in high school students.

“Seventy percent of teens say anxiety is a major problem in their life,” according to a survey from the National Education Association.

Stress is a common occurrence in teenagers today, with everything going on it is important for a student to know their stress is validated and they are not alone. 

“If you are really worked up, ask what I am grateful for? if you go down that dark road it’s hard to get off, focus on what makes you happy,” Neuschafer said.