Sounds of bells ringing and kids hustling through the halls: it’s a new school year. Students are starting to get into the flow, and while getting into the flow, stress starts to develop. Stress can be the major cause of not prospering during the school year. Controlling stress is a health issue and being able to control it can help any student.
Stress is the physical response to experiences that make you feel threatened, or upset your balance in some way. At a certain point it can cause major damage to health, mood, productivity, relationships, and the quality of life.
According to Focus Adolescent Service, the usual causes of day to day stress for teens are problems with peers, family issues, school related issues, and too many activities or unrealistic expectations.
“Procrastination on my school work causes me stress. Usually [stress] causes me constant work, stomach aches, and a short temper,” said Sydni Hatton, junior.
Various negative effects of stress are anxiety and depression. As stated on Medicine Net (medicinenet.com) teen stress is a risk factor for the development of depression which can cause an increased risk of suicide. Other effects are heart disease, weight gain and loss, sleep difficulty, concentration, memory loss, pain, and gastrointestinal disorders.
As said by Help guide (helpguide.org), if stress is becoming an overload, teens should be having their parents and teachers help. The more a parent or teacher is helping, the more a teen uses healthier ways to aid their stress, then the teen will be able to have the stress benefit them.
“I think some [teachers] can help out a lot more [with stress in school] than they have been. Teachers rarely acknowledge students at a personal level. I think stress could be reduced if students were given more personal attention from their teachers,” said Hatton.
Teachers and parents should be talking to their teens if they show signs of stress. Suicide is often caused by stress. A mental health professional such as a psychologist could also provide teens with the stress help they need.