Student Stress

Fiona Abraham, Social Media Manager|October 17, 2014

Studies show that nowadays, students go through a lot more stress in an academic year compared to past generations. The stress students in both high school and college experience can come from many outlets, but what seems to be more evident is a heavy workload and higher level classes. The differences in the amount of stress one has can be based on the classes they take. PCNN reporters went out and interviewed students from AP, honors, and academic level math and science classes at Panther Creek to understand the amount of stress the students have.

Mathematics Courses:	Stress Level	Reason	WTCWS
Foundations of Math II	1- 4	Workload and fast-paced units	Hanging out with friends
Honors Math II	5-7	Homework and hard tests	Taking breaks, watching TV, and hanging out with friends
AP Calculus	6-10	Classwork, homework, and exams	Hanging out with friends, sleeping, eating healthy food
Science Courses:
Physical Science	3-5	Course content	Hanging out with friends
Honors Biology	4-5	Personal issues, missed days, workload	Playing the guitar, hanging out with friends
AP Physics I	7-10	Homework/tests/quizzes/workload	Time management, breaks, drinking water

*WTCWS: Ways to cope with stress

*1-10: Level of stress (1- none , 10- epitome of stress)

Panther Creek reporters found that the amount of stress varies from student to student: some students succeed in courses others students fail in. Also, students in higher-level classes experience higher levels of stress. Senior Apeksha Awashthi stated, “the way I avoid stress is by never procrastinating. I use a checklist and manage my time wisely.” But the question still remains: how can students successfully cope with stress?

Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist at Stanford University, studied stress as a natural reaction to adversity, and found that if people stop becoming anxious about their stress, the body can naturally cope in a healthy way. The study also concluded that people should use stress to their advantage. Instead of viewing stress as something bad, people should use the stress as a motivator. This might not work for everyone, but healthy ways students can cope with stress include:

Working out
Listening to music
Watching a comedy movie/show
Savoring a warm cup of tea
Spending time enjoying the outdoors
Managing your time with a schedule
Drinking water

Although academic stress might become overwhelming at times, healthy ways to cope are often the most effective. Until we accept responsibility for the role we play in creating or maintaining it, our stress levels will always seem inevitable and outside of our control. Students should listen to the wise words of Bob Marley, “don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be alright.”

Do you believe that students nowadays experience more stress compared to previous generations?