After yet another grueling day of stressful AP classes, demanding teachers, and irritating peers, you walk sluggishly to practice, knowing you will not get home anytime soon. You groan at the thought of the mountain of work that awaits you at home. Looks like another all-nighter is in the making. You wish you had a way to manage everything more easily, but hey, that’s junior year for you.

In truth, there are many proven ways to help students- especially juniors -with hefty schedules manage their time, and therefore their stress, effectively. One of these is exercise. Whether you’re an athlete or completely out of shape, a little exercise can go a long way. According to the Mayo Clinic, simply going for a short walk, playing a quick game, or swimming a few laps can positively stimulate the mind, brain, and emotions. Physical activity stimulates positive thinking, refocuses the mind, and uplifts a person’s mental state. Senior Tiffany Afoakwa agrees, saying, “I don’t want to go home and start my homework, so dancing gives me something to look forward to. When I dance, it releases any stress I had after a hard day and helps me refocus.”

If you really don’t have the time to exercise, then at least do yourself a favor and give your mind a break. According to MIT’s Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming website, research indicates that sitting for more than three hours a day can actually shorten your life by up to two years. Minds cannot perform at their best when overworked and allowed little time to relax. Develop a schedule that works for you, giving yourself 10-to-15 minute breaks in between studying. Not only does the brain receive a much needed reprieve, but such breaks also provide incentives to actually get the work done in a set time frame.

You’ve tried incentives, exercising, and breaks, you say? Well then, the issue behind your ineffective time management could lie in an overwhelming schedule. Every person is unique, so not every person will be able to juggle ten different responsibilities simultaneously. Some are natural-born multitaskers, while others are not. Know your limits and learn to work with them, not against them. Don’t feel the need to pile on more duties because you feel you have to compete with your peers or older siblings. You are not them, and they are not you. You have strengths that they do not, so use them to your advantage.

It is important for every student to challenge him or herself, but it is equally important for every student to maintain his or her personal stress barriers. Students, especially juniors who face tremendous amounts of work and stress, need to stimulate their minds in a healthy way through evenly dispersed breaks and exercise, not loading up on caffeine or resorting to other methods. Budgeting time, creating incentives, and exercising are only a few of the many ways out there for students of all types to manage their schedules.