Exercising Could Lower Stress in High Schools

Stress is one of the most serious problems among high school students. Stress can not only affect how students perform in school, but it also changes how they interact (交往) with others. Stressing is a normal (正常的) part of life.

Stress can come from many different places for high school students. From my own experiences, I know that balancing studying, homework, sports, and social life is really tough. Senior high school students have to worry about getting good grades and getting into college.

One way I think we can fight the stress is by exercising. Physical activity has been known to lower stress in teens as well as adults. The enjoyment of physical activity can take a student’s worries off their mind. This is definitely important.

Since students study in school the whole day from 7:30 in the morning, to around 10:30 at night, having limited (有限的) time to do physical activity, I think it would be a good idea to add some sort of physical activity into the school day. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes would be enough.

I think that adding this little amount of physical activity can help high school students in a lot of ways other than just stress relief. I think that it will improve their attention in class, which could improve their grades. These activities can help their physical and mental health, which will benefit them later in life as well as the present. If high school students do exercise regularly, they will be more likely to do better in school.

Public Speaking

It can be stressful to deliver a speech in front of people. What do you say? How do you catch people’s attention? What do you do if you mess up? 【小题1】 You can use the following basics about the art of public speaking to help you overcome these challenges and be a good speaker.

Point everything back to the central idea

Before you begin your speech, figure out your core message. 【小题2】 It makes it easier to decide what to say and it helps you make every other decision, from the structure to the specific stories and concrete images that you include.

【小题3】

To make your presentation memorable, you can try using “sticky stories” in your speeches — honest, vivid anecdotes (逸闻) with details that engage the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. People remember stories and images.

Practice in front of people

Practicing your speech can ease feelings of nervousness and help you adjust your presentation. Ask a friend or a family member to listen to you as you practice. You can also take a voice memo with your phone and play it back to yourself. 【小题4】

Slow down and start again

If something unexpected happens in the moment — say you stumble (结巴) or lose your place — pause or slow down. Take a deep breath and go back to the beginning of a sentence or restate the word you stumbled on. And don’t worry, people don’t notice those pauses as much as you think they do. 【小题5】 The point is to set yourself up for success, not perfection.

We find comfort in nature． Spending time with grass and trees and birds， even through a window， makes us feel happier and more relaxed． One of the most exciting things about bird﹣watching is that birds are so mobile．【小题1】They migrate across the globe every spring and fall． You don't have to identify the species， although there is a wealth of information available if you know a bird's name．【小题2】I'm writing about bird﹣watching here， and here are 3 tips to get started：

Notice birds

If you're not already a bird﹣watcher， you probably don't really notice birds， but they are around us all the time， even in a city． 【小题3】 One of the best ways to find birds is just to watch for movement， and then focus on that movement to see what's happening （it's often a bird）． You will quickly learn where and how to look， and noticing birds will become second nature．

Listen

Birds communicate by sound as well as by sight， just like we do． They make a lot of noise and their songs and calls all mean something． On the most basic level sounds can help you find birds by revealing their presence and telling you what direction to look． Just like seeing，【小题4】but once you start noticing these sounds you will hear them everywhere．

Watch for patterns

Birds are creatures of habit． If you've seen a bird fly away carrying something， there's a very good chance it will come back to gather more． Just wait． Building a nest takes several days， and young birds in the nest are fed for more than a week， so you might be able to come back the next day and watch more．【小题5】 you might even find the nest． All of the variation in birds also follows patterns． It's always satisfying to understand the broader patterns in nature．