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Hey,

As far as that really difficult class do you think you would be able to get any help from the teacher, either before or after school or during a study hall? It may help you out with some of the stress because at least you will be going for the help which may make it better for you overall, since you'll be grasping the material more. That just about saved me in some of my harder classes.

Remind yourself that nobody is perfect though. When thoughts come in to your mind, tell yourself, "I have tried my hardest, and that is very important." "I learned from my mistakes and will do better next time." "I am smart, I can get past this!" Sometimes positive self-talk can really go a long way in helping us, because it reminds us to replace negative thoughts with more positive ones.

I understand not telling your family right now and I won't force your to, but does your school have a guidance counselor? They'd be able to keep things confidential unless you are in danger to yourself or others, so they would be a good person to go to to help you manage some of the things in life that are causing you stress. Plus, they're free! They may also be able to connect you with free or cheap outside resources.

Try and get a regular sleep schedule going. I understand it's hard to sleep, but maybe if you find yourself in bed with the lights off, your body may start to get the idea. Before bed, you can do something like take a warm bath or shower to calm yourself down a bit. Play some relaxing music. I've heard scents such as lavender are also soothing, so that may help you get to bed.

I have a professor who also told us to write down some of our more pressing thoughts on a piece of paper before going to bed. That way, they are out of our minds and written down so we don't forget to do them, and that way we won't spend all night worrying about having to get them done or to sort things out - everything will be there for you when you have the energy.

As far as releasing stress goes, self expression is one way to do this. Writing, art, and music are all good ways to get out pent up thoughts and emotions in a healthy, safe way. Exercise is another good way of releasing stress. The self expression doesn't have to be a masterpiece and the exercise doesn't have to be anything extreme, it can just help to do it! You can even do something like yoga or meditation to give yourself inner peace.

Try and have some "me-time" too where you only focus on yourself and doing kind thing to yourself. Maybe watch a good movie, read a good book, do your nails, do your hair, eat your favorite goodies, do a hobby, start a play with a pet, drink tea, or do something else nice. It can go a long way!

Try to eat healthy too. I'm not saying you can never have junk food, but try to at least eat a balanced diet with the proper food groups.

Also, try and live in the moment. As my wellness professor says, you can't change the past and you don't know what will happen tomorrow, so why not focus on the present? Try and focus on just living one day at a time. Maybe focus on how good it feels to be outside, or how fun it is to be with a friend.

Learn how to say "no." If we already have tons of obligations, we can't keep pressuring ourselves by doing everyone a favor all the time! It's nice to help others, but if you already have tons on your plate, it's okay to say no and tell them you'll help another time, so you don't get overwhelmed.

You can get through this!

-Dez