How youths relieve stress

“Having a tight schedule every day brings a lot of stress into my life.

But my reading hobby has helped to alleviate this.

Reading not only transports me into another world, but also helps to

strengthen my creative thinking skills.

Moreover, reading has increased my knowledge and vocabulary.

I use the dictionary to search for meanings of complex words and use these words in my essays.

In addition, reading helps nurture positive thoughts so it’s good for my mental health.” – Nur Errysya Zafirah, 12

I love doing Thai boxing, also known as Muay Thai.

I picked it up only a month ago. Learning self-defence techniques puts my strength, agility and endurance to the test.

One of the main reasons I decided to sign up for this is to relieve stress.

Recently, I’ve been feeling more stressed than usual because of upcoming exams.

Muay Thai has definitely helped me deal with the pressure. Besides that, the sense of satisfaction I feel while doing Muay Thai is incredibly exhilarating.” – Nikka Johari Low, 17

“I’ve had many exams of late – school exams, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) exams, and the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

Last year, when my SPM preparations took a toll on me, I started looking for more hobbies that could help me relieve stress.

One of them is something I already did regularly, which is playing the piano.

I love it because I can play my favourite pieces whenever I want and lose myself in the music. It helps me escape from the burdens of my exams.

Playing the piano also allows me to express my emotions. I feel rejuvenated every time after I have had a piano session.” – Cheyne Yap Ke Xuan, 18

“I run on a weekly basis. I usually run for 5km, but I will attempt to go further if my stamina allows me to.

I time myself when I run as I strive to beat my highest score. I sometimes feel exhausted halfway through the journey.

To motivate myself, I use cool beverages as a reward if I achieve my goal.

Running allows me to let go of my struggles because the only thing that comes to mind is the finishing line. I also immerse myself in music when I run.” – Daniel Adam, 16

“Something I normally ease my mind with is skateboarding.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, I find pleasure skating around my house.

The feeling of gliding across the smooth tiles with the slight breeze on my face while bracing myself for any accidental crash into the kitchen cabinet always excites me.

Although I’m not a professional, I feel really cool just holding my skateboard.

It reminds me of my favourite movie Back to the Future in which the main character skateboards around town. At the heart of it,

I love skateboarding because it can defuse my anger and relieve the tensions I’ve built up throughout the day.” – Hong Jing Xin, 14The quotes above were obtained by BRATs participant Hong Yun Ning.