Around this time of the school year, many students feel under pressure or stressed out due to the workload that they receive, and, of course, the impending final exams. As a student or parent, you may ask yourself questions like “Why do students feel this way? What can they do about it?” or “What does the school do about it?” Those are all good questions to ask, and in this article I will answer these questions using the help and insight of other students and school staff.
Personally, during my freshman year, I experienced a lot of stress during midterms and finals. Though I rarely feel anxious about school anymore, I know most other students still struggle with this. When asked, Junior student Connor McGrady says that “Sometimes [school] makes me pretty anxious, because I have a lot of things outside of school to work on… .” Connor is not the only one who has obligations outside of school. Students often have jobs and families to attend to, which can impact their organization and school performance.
Each student has a different way of coping with their anxiety, and not all of these methods are healthy. For example, doomscrolling on social media or stress eating are some of these unhealthy coping mechanisms. Worry not though, there’s a lot of healthy things one can do to control their stress. “Sometimes working out, after school activities, and playing video games helps me deal with it,” says Connor. When done in moderation, exercise and video games can help. Key word ‘in moderation’. If you spend too much time on these things, you won’t have time to get anything else done, and that can make you stressed.
Additionally, many clubs can allow students to socialize, have fun, and take their mind off of schoolwork. Obviously, there are a lot of after school activities or clubs that could actually add on to your list of things to worry about. So, make sure you can handle the clubs and activities you take part in.
Sleep is also an important factor when it comes to stress. An article by Banner Health discusses this. “When you don’t get enough sleep, your body stays in high alert mode and produces more cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that makes your heart beat faster and your muscles tense up. (Thurott, 5)” Additionally, keeping a healthy diet can also help to reduce stress. According to the National Institute of Health, excessive consumption of caffeine and artificial sweeteners can increase a person’s stress levels, so perhaps keep that in mind.
Social media use and screen time also has an impact on your stress levels. “I would say, the one thing students can do today to improve their anxiety is limit Instagram and any other online app that they constantly use,” says Mrs. Contreras from student services. “Every day, I am reading more on the impact on mental health for teens and honestly even adults.”
When you scroll on apps like Instagram and Tiktok, the videos you watch or news you hear can make you feel like everything in the world is going wrong and that can stress you out. During the modern age, you need your cellphone for a lot of everyday activities, such as work or health, so it would be unlikely for someone to be able to completely ditch their phone, but it would be wise to limit your screen time and social media usage everyday and stay more engaged with your surroundings.
Additionally, the school has a handful of resources that are intended to help students with these issues. You can always book an appointment with your counselor and speak with them about these things, or you can speak with the school psychologist. The student resource workers are there for the primary purpose of being helpful to students. Other resources like Caturday study halls and after school help can help students who are struggling with certain subjects catch up and understand them better, which makes them feel less stressed about things like quizzes and homework.
In conclusion, it is not unusual for students to feel anxious about school. If you do, there are lots of things, either personal choices or the use of school resources, to help yourself during stressful times.