High school is one of the most formative points in a student’s life. Many students will be finding new experiences, meeting new people, trying new things, and taking new classes. High school is also a stressful time for many as they begin to think about their futures and what they want to do after graduating. As students begin to fill their schedules up with upper level classes and extracurriculars, they can become increasingly stressed. Learning to manage and control this stress is paramount for a healthy student life while navigating this important time.
The Signs of a Stressed Student
A student’s life is busy and it’s all too common to hear about students not even recognizing the signs of stress. On top of this, these feelings can be mixed up with the feelings of puberty and hormonal changes. Recognizing the behavioral changes in yourself or other students is important for managing the stress caused by school and keeping it under control.
Signs of school stress include:
- Feelings of anxiety, depression, agitation, and anger
- Forgetting dates or times of events
- Sleeping more than usual or not at all
- Bodily pains such as stomach aches or headaches
A study done by the National Library of Medicine shows that stress can be separated into 3 different categories. These categories are Academic, Peer, and Home stressors. Each of these variants contribute to a student’s stress levels with many students not understanding how to manage it.
Why Stress Creates Problems
Stress is ultimately a natural part of the human body. All humans have stress and it’s an important part in fueling our drive to get things done. However with today’s rapidly fast world, stress can easily get out of hand and begin hurting the health of our bodies. Students will begin to experience “over-stress” in high school while they pack their schedules full of classes, homework, and events. This over-stress leads to more problems for students and creates a snowball-like effect for a student’s health and academics.
Since high school is also an important formative time for students, over-stress can carry over into adulthood. Many students will experience higher stress levels in their 20s due to learned behaviors and failed coping mechanisms in high school. That’s why it’s important to start stress management now!
Ways to Manage Stress
Stress management is of the utmost importance for High School students. Starting before you’re over-stressed is important as well as it will help you keep your stress under control. That isn’t to say these strategies won’t work for a student already over-stressed, but it’s important to employ these strategies on a routine basis to see the effects work.
- Get 8 hours of rest each night
- Practice breathing exercises
- Exercise
- Spend 5 minutes organizing your day
- Talk to a therapist
- Mediate
- Cut down on caffeine consumption
- Schedule time for relaxation
- Eat regular, healthy meals
- Reach out to friends or family about your stress
These are 10 of my personal favorite techniques that helped get me through high school. While not every technique may work for you, I promise at least one of these will. Finding a combination to incorporate into your daily routine is how you’re going to see the biggest benefit. These techniques will only work if you do them regularly. Also it’s important to remember that you’re not alone with these feelings. Millions of students are in a similar boat of stress and taking the time to connect with yourself can go the distance in improving your life! Did these tips help you manage and control stress? Let us know in the comments down below!
Do you have difficulties with organization or assignment priority? Schedule a meeting with one of our professional executive functioning coaches and learn how to organize a stress-free day!