Wake up. Go to school. Get home. Study. Sleep. Repeat. This is the cycle millions of students have to live with in every high school.
For a lot of students school has actually become a main source of stress and anxiety. This is a huge problem that affects student’s mental health and their overall academic performance and outlook on life. This column will explain why high school students are feeling so stressed and what can be done to help them.
Having mental health problems is almost directly linked to having worse grades. If you already have a bad mindset, it’s hard to put that energy into school or think that it matters as much. Some students can also become dependent on substance abuse or excessive nicotine use as a coping mechanism. Vaping or drinking if they feel stressed can seriously mess up their life badly as it can damage their developing brain.
Without a proper education it’s easy for your life to go downhill. There are a lot of people who dropped out of high school or had bad grades in school and didn’t have a good enough education or motivation to continue on to secondary education. Because they don’t go to college, they struggle to find a good paying job to support their life and families. It’s sad to see so many homeless people on the streets, however, this is the sad reality of some people who gave up in high school.
One reason students can accumulate a lot of stress is the excessive workload. High school students are required to have up to 8 subjects which each has its own homework, projects, and tests. This can be stressful to a lot of students when deadlines are really close and they are crunched for time. A student might have a math test or an english essay and a science project all due in the same week. This makes them have a lot of pressure to do well and might have them lose sleep to fit it all in. Sleep is crucial to good mental health.
Another reason is because a lot of kids feel pressure to do well in school. A lot of kids feel that they need to get good grades to get into a good college and have a good life. This pressure can come from parents or teachers and even from themselves. There is some fear of not meeting these high expectations that can cause a lot of anxiety and force them to overachieve. Some students might even end up creating unhealthy habits like eating less meals, not spending time with friends or losing sleep to keep up with their work in school.
Social issues also play a big role in stress for students. High school is where a lot of kids are trying to find out who they are and where they fit in with friend groups. This can be hard especially with the added pressure of social media. Students might feel like they need to compare themselves to others who are really smart or have more friends than them which can lead to depression and low self esteem. Bullying, both in person and online, can also add to stress and make school a hard place to be.
Extracurricular activities are helpful in a lot of ways and yet can also add
to the stress. Many students play sports, are in theater or are in clubs and other activities outside of school. These can be good for personal reasons and college applications but they can also take up a lot of time and energy. Doing these activities on top of schoolwork can require a lot of time-management.
To start to fix this, schools can play a big role by providing support. This could be counseling services and creating a better schedule for their workload. Teachers can also help by understanding their students and helping them whenever they need it.
Parents can help their kids by showing them how to live a good lifestyle like getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods like vegetables and fruits, and taking breaks. Parents can also have conversations surrounding school and stress. Sometimes for a kid, just having someone to talk to can make a big difference.
Students can also help themselves to manage their own stress. By planning ahead and using time management, it would make it easier to balance everything. It’s also good for kids to take care of their physical health first.
While high school can be very stressful there are many ways to minimize it. By working with your friends, teachers, and parents, students can create a more enjoyable and healthier high school experience.