Balancing school, extracurriculars, sports, jobs and many more time-demanding activities can be stressful for students. Stress can be challenging to deal with, but it can be done. Follow my five-step guide to relieving stress during the busy back-to-school season.

Pet a dog

I don’t exactly know why dogs are so perfect, but they are. Dogs don’t abandon us, they don’t make us sad, they don’t leave us on read at 10:02 p.m. That’s beside the point. Dogs are the fastest way to serenity, one bark at a time.

Cry

Crying is my key to dealing with stress. The trick is bottling up your emotions until you burst into tears. It is best to do this in peace and quiet; it is frowned upon to wail in public places. Make sure to get the lotion-infused tissues to avoid nasal irritation.

Scat

Skee-bop-diddly-doo-dahhh

See, don’t you feel better?

Write poetry

Poetry is a form of expression that really allows the writer to pour their emotions into the lines. Below I have attached an example.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I have 14 different assignments

Tomorrow they’re due

Go to Target

What’s better than making impulsive shopping decisions? Making them at Target, of course. When you walk in and that fresh air hits your face, you smell the pretzels from the snack bar. And then you see it.

The most glorious sight of all.

The dollar section.

It’s full of things you don’t need but you desperately want. Especially those little $3 candles. And the cute Halloween socks.

What’s more to want?