No matter how hard an average high school student will dedicate their time and efforts into their studies, their school life will always be haunted by this constant, dreadful feeling that penetrates almost every aspect of their life: school stress. Every moment will be rebounded by thoughts about the massive piles of homework shoved towards them and the ongoing, rigourous exams that they must prepare for, all on top of the emotional stresses that follow from being a teen and having to experience the harsh realities of this world first-hand. These stress factors, whether it be the harsh workload of schools or the school environment itself, are all leading to the increasingly stressful lives of students.
Despite the wonderful benefits of the high-level education system today, research shows that school stress is decreasing the mental health of many students.
According to data from the American Psychological Association for Stress in America Survey (2017), 83% of teens state that the most commonly reported sources of stress in their lives are school, whether it be the classes themselves, deciding what to do after high school, or financial concerns for college.
Although preparing students for the higher levels of education and top universities, the high workload and stress these schools are providing are doing no better for the mental distress that students already face. Having to complete lots of rigourous assignments for almost 6-8 high school classes on average on top of extracurriculars and social lives is quite a lot. While some students might be able to manage everything, the average teen doesn’t have the time-management skills to handle everything. And if a student is facing other family or other mental health issues, it becomes impossible to complete these assignments successfully.
Along with that, competition as the years fly by is getting increasingly worse. Most students are now taking extremely rigorous classes and harsh electives, along with a growing number of younger students that have in fact started achieving very high accomplishments in their extracurriculars and academics. With this intensive and growing competition among students of generation Z, it’s only putting more pressure on future students to surpass their peers in education and test scores.
But most importantly, these stress factors are limiting students from being able to enjoy their current lives as teenagers. They should know that not every weekend in its entirety should be spent sitting locked in a bedroom with piles of textbooks and homework assignments. Most importantly, a student’s social life shouldn’t be taken away from them and replaced by hours of completing schoolwork.
Whether the solution of this problem lies in the hands of the students, counselors, or the school curriculum, there may not be a lot that anyone can do to completely reduce the heavy workload of high school, the immense competition, or the tough exams that appear. After all, stress can only be managed, not taken away entirely. However, the biggest takeaway for teens is that they should never let school stress overwhelm their lives and put their mental health at risk. It is a very difficult and time-consuming process to reduce the impact of all the tension, but it’s quite important to understand that you’re not alone. The more you start realizing that you can spend more time enjoying other factors of your life, pulling away from school stress will 100% be worth it.
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