Overflow of Stress
High School’s Not What It’s Portrayed to Be
Abington High School sophomore Sean Moran’s digital artwork from Mrs. Poirier’s class 2019
April 23, 2019
Students can be blindsided by the experience of high school. People portray high school as cherished years that help a student transition to adulthood. Students, however, might not always think it is so wonderful. Some worry they might not be able to accomplish what they wanted to.
They have concerns about time management. Some students are on extracurricular activities because it is supposed to help with college admissions, which is what people say. Upperclassmen, parents, and some teachers suggest students join extracurricular activities to learn new skills, too. These activities take up a portion of the day when students could be doing school work.
Social media like Snapchat and Instagram encourages students not to be themselves.
— Michael Iyamabo
Test scores also make students nervous. Knowing that grades impact a GPA and that this is one of the main factors that colleges consider can leave a student anxious. They can be concerned that they will not have the GPA to get into their desired college.
In addition to worrying about time management and GPAs, students also have to consider social cliques. They feel pressured to have to conform to them. If they do not, they may feel left out. Social media like Snapchat and Instagram encourages students not to be themselves. This adds to the stress students feel every day. Parents do not always understand the extent that stress, along with playing a role on social media, has in a student’s life.
Other stressors for a student are within the classroom setting. These would be presentations and group assignments. These are stressful because sometimes people are not supported in their ideas. This can create confrontation. It can also impact a person’s mood for the day. Or, the person just remains silent. This kind of group work and presentations could make the person feel anxious.
High school is supposed to be a journey into independence. But it is not always. It can instead feel like a journey to failure. High school can make students feel anxious. The stress as well as the fatigue which one school day can bring can cause disengagement with significant angst in addition to feelings of distress.
Instead of trying to understand what might be causing the stress, people negatively portray students today who have mental health issues as faking it. People who suffer with mental health problems are often labeled instead of being accepted for the talents or other strengths they have that make them unique in their own light.
If you suffer with anxiety, find something you like to do instead of focusing on grades. Focus instead on your personal growth. Talking without shame to somebody else helps, too.
Najia McDonald • Jun 7, 2019 at 9:07 AM
This is very inspiring and I’m happy that someone finally said something about anxiety with high school and how social media affects us.
Elizabeth Gonsalves • Apr 23, 2019 at 3:46 PM
Thank you , Michael, for describing the pressures that students feel in high schools today. Your portrait of contributions to student anxiety has given me lots to think about in my role as a teacher. Your suggestions to focus on personal growth and talking without shame to someone are so important — thank you for a thoughtful article.