From Aaarrgh! to Ahhhhhhhh!
December is, apparently, National Stress-Free Family Holidays Month (because buying presents and cooking Christmas dinners is so stressful), so we asked our readers about their favourite way to relieve stress. Here are the best answers …
1. A little hydro-therapy
I swim through stress! Even if I'm angry and need to punch somebody, it'll only make a splash in the water.
Bakhita Fung, 13, Island School
2. Do your homework!
After all, that's usually what's causing the stress in the first place, right? So why not attack the problem at the source?
Tayyab Shahzada, 15, Sha Tin College
3. Smashing that stress
Playing squash is a good way to relieve stress. When I play, I feel like I'm transferring the stress into energy. I can hit the ball powerfully and my opponent can't return it and I win the game!
Kristie Wong, 16, South Tuen Mun Government Secondary School
4. Stream on!
To paraphrase The Maze Runner, if you ain't stressed, you ain't human. When I feel frazzled, I watch videos of my sunshines, Joe Sugg and Dylan O'Brien, and the stress goes away, my spirits instantly lift and I feel ready for any hardships that come my way.
Christy Cheung, 15, St Paul's Co-educational College
5. Pedal your cares away
Cycling helps me relieve stress. When I focus on pedalling, I forget my worries. When I cycle to the top of a mountain, the amazing views helps me relax, and it's a great spot to take deep, slow breaths. Even the refreshing shower after cycling helps me de-stress!
Elaine Tong, 16, Law Ting Pong Secondary School
6. Ride the chew-chew train
Chewing huge wads of gum calms me down, especially before competitions and events where people have high expectations of me. The strong minty flavour refreshes me and helps me feel relaxed.
Joel Christian, 17, Delia Memorial School (Broadway)
7. 'Toon It out
I don't do yoga or eat a pack of Snickers or sleep. My stress-relieving mechanism is to watch my favourite cartoon: Tom and Jerry. The blissfulness of laughing and reminiscing about my stress-free childhood is indescribable.
Ravreet Kaur, 17, Delia Memorial School (Broadway)
8. Chilling out
Chatting with my friends over some ice cream, especially in the winter. Ice cream is even more delicious when it's cold outside because it really keeps you awake and refreshed!
Law Yi-nam, 13, Immaculate Heart of Mary College
9. Music and maths
I listen to The Beatles and occasionally do a Sudoku puzzle - there's nothing quite like immersing myself in a world full of logic, with Paul McCartney crooning The Long and Winding Road in the background.
Cynthia Huang, 15, Chinese International School
10. Use your head
The way I relieve stress is by getting an empty plastic water bottle and hitting myself on the head over and over again. I don't know why it does what it does, but it makes me feel a lot calmer!
Liam Fung, 12,Chinese International School
Next week:
December is also flu season. For our next Top 10, tell us your favourite home remedy for flu, and how it works! Send your answer, together with your name, age and school, to [email protected] with "Top 10: Flu" in the subject field. The best answers will be published in the next Top 10 page!