Negative Side Effects of Stress Among AHS Students

On a daily basis, students at Arrowhead juggle school work, extracurricular activities, and, for some, a part-time job. Having to deal with this many things to do on a daily basis can put a lot of pressure on these students, so how do they deal this everyday stress?

Brady Jager, AHS junior, says, “I get stressed about school a lot, obviously, and sometimes I get stressed about what others think of me. On a daily basis, I’m pretty stressed out.”

Christopher James, of NYU, says in the article “NYU Study Examines Top High School Students’ Stress and Coping Mechanisms,” that “there is growing awareness that many subgroups of youth experience high levels of chronic stress, to the extent that it impedes their abilities to succeed academically, compromises their mental health functioning, and fosters risk behavior.”

Jesse Adams, an AHS sophomore, says, “I could say I am a pretty stressed out person, as I am constantly thinking and reflecting upon the social part of the day [or]  parts of other days. Most often I get stressed over social affairs concerning my relationships with other people. Stress connects with anxiety to produce a product that is self destructive and unhealthy. Stress affects my life by worrying about unnecessary events and thinking about ones that are still yet to occur.”

With many students affected by stress on a daily basis, what can be done for this students to relax and not have so much anxiety all the time?

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the best ways to lower stress levels is to exercise, limit caffeine intake, take deep breaths, and understand that you cannot control everything.

Kevin Lewandowski, AHS school psychologist, says, “Obviously teachers, coaches, or other adults in the building are available to talk with students about what is going on in their lives.  School counselors and the school psychologist (myself for north) are available at both campuses and might have a more specialized take on how to manage stress.  Students experience stress for a multitude of reasons though: school, ACT, friends, family, future planning, etc. With some of these stressors, it can be helpful to talk with someone about what is going on.  If school is the primary stressor, the most effective way to alleviate that stress might be increased academic supports.  Teachers often meet with students during their prep periods, host study sessions before/after school, or have small group study halls each semester where kids can get more help. Arrowhead is also working on a way to incorporate stress reduction strategies into homerooms so students can receive reminders to take care of themselves.

Jager says, “I like to listen to music and chat with my friends in the car to calm me down. Of course these are just temporary fixes and it always seem that the stress comes back sooner or later. It’s an endless cycle but I understand that there will always be things that will stress me out and I shouldn’t let it affect my life too much.”

Adams says, “Something that I do to destress is to put on music or read poetry. Both those things help a bit to destress until either of the two are removed from the situation.”

“I wouldn’t be so stressed out if the adults around me stopped expecting so much out of me. They want me to grow up and have all of the possible aids in helping me be successful, but there are just so many expectations that I can’t live up to. Stress does aid in keeping me on track with getting things done and being productive, but it also causes me to be on edge almost all the time, and sometimes that makes it really hard to just enjoy life,” says Jager.