By: Elizabeth Chen, Staff Writer
Mental health has become a rising concern over the years, as it has come to the forefront of conversations about teens’ overall health. We now have more mental health assemblies and resources for us to use and learn. Rather than be shamed for it, we no longer have to worry about caring for our mental health.
Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure and can be presented in many different ways. It can come from homework, tests, school in general and family. But, while these reasons might seem mundane to many, stress can actually be very harmful to our bodies. In the long run it can lead to conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses. You may also end up with problems with sleep, depression, anxiety and headaches.
Minor things can have a bad effect on lifestyles. Students’ eating habits are one of the most unknown effects on stress. “I walked into class and saw people eating out of packages” stated Mr. Hensley. Stress eating can be very harmful because you are using food as a coping mechanism and when that happens it becomes an emotional issue. The high cholesterol and sugary foods, like boba and chips, are harmful long term. Lack of sleep also increases stress, since sleep keeps the body well rested, improves concentration and regulates mood.
An almost immediate effect of too much stress is burnout. Burnout is a physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. When students overload and don’t take care of themselves, they crash or have emotional breakdowns. Ultimately, burnout can affect the entire school year. It’s better to reach for attainable goals than hurting your health.
Looking towards the bright side, there are some ways you can learn to handle your stress. For shorter term solutions you should use a planner to stay more organized therefore making your all consuming tasks more manageable. Taking short breaks while doing work can also help you decompress and clear your mind giving you more ideas. If your stress becomes a bigger problem then you should consider seeking guidance or counseling. For example, Mills has a wellness program with counselors that are there for your assistance. You can also go to a trusted adult or friend for counseling and de-stressing. Taking breaks from social media and the news can be very beneficial. Constantly reading or watching about traumatic events can be unsettling and increase stress. Lastly, making time for yourself to unwind can help you clear your mind and have a better mindset.
Homework and school in general can be very stressful for students. To combat this teachers have been adjusting their curriculum and grading to alleviate stress. Teachers have many ways to help alleviate stress. When asked, teachers said that they went slower to review topics so that everyone could relearn and made tests multiple parts so that students could show their understanding and knowledge in different ways. Ms. Kovacs, a math teacher, stated “We went slower through review topics so everyone can relearn. We definitely took more time with those . We’ve made sure there’s always opportunities for redemption, whether that’s retakes or test corrections.” Others have adjusted their grading so that you could turn in work late without losing points from it but still encouraging students to do their work. Teachers have also started to decrease the homework load and make due dates more lenient so that students do not have to worry as much about their work.
Stress can be hard to handle but there are ways to combat it. Remember that there will always be people there for your support.
