20 opinions
November 20, 2012
The North Star
Stressful situations slam high school students LCN students load up with academics, work, family, and relationships Kaylee McPharlin ‘13 Opinions Editor
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here’s homework in every class with two extra projects due. The end of the marking period is coming soon and your grades aren’t looking so hot. In the midst of academic troubles, your parents are fighting, friends are mad, and your boyfriend or girlfriend is ignoring you. Stress is very real, and very hard to deal with. There are so many issues that can stress teenagers out. These include academics, friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, not getting enough sleep, or family problems. Sometimes it’s one of these at a time. Sometimes it’s all of these at once. And in the midst of all of these different things going on, it’s necessary to find a way to handle it. Along with the good comes the bad. This also applies with trying to find ways to relieve stress. According to the Help Guide website, the top five most destructive ways to relieve stress are consuming too much caffeine, smoking, drinking, compulsive spending (this may not apply to us broke teenagers), and emotional eating. Emma Liegghio ’13 introduced me to
Brianna Chandler ‘14 is very stressed out with all of her academic work to do. Besides the academic load, teen stress can also be attributed to lack of sleep, family problems, and relationship troubles. Photo by James Coller ‘13
a whole different idea of destructively relieving stress. “Basically what I do is I think about everything I have to do, then just ignore it and take a nap. Then when I wake up four hours later, I just get anxious and cry about everything I have to do,” Liegghio said. We’ve all been guilty of procrastination. Procrastinating to the point of
anxiety attacks is not healthy. Being surrounded by lazy teenagers does not mean you have to be one. In contrast to the ways to destructively handle stress, there are at least four times as many ways to handle stress in a healthy manner. Settle down with a good book for an hour. Not a reader? Make a hot cup of tea. Disgusted by tea? Hang out with your best friend for
a while. Not available? Exercise. Exercising is my most preferred way of relieving stress. During basketball season, I can be completely stressed out before practice, but after running and getting my blood moving, I’m more prepared to take on my challenges. If you’re not an athlete, take a walk or jog on the treadmill. Sweating it out not only gives you a healthy mind, but a healthy body. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, exercise helps a person’s mental health by producing endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. Just get up and do something active. What’s there to lose? It’s a win-win situation. Nick Crosson ’14 agreed that exercise helps get rid of stress. “Working out by myself really helps me relieve stress,” he said. Try some different healthy stress-relievers out. There are so many different opportunities out there to help clear your mind. It may be trial and error for a while, but once you find something that works for you, it’ll be your go-to problem-solver. Balance is a key part in being successful throughout life.
What is a student’s biggest source of stress?
Work: 12% Romantic Relationships: 6%
Academics: 57%
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Not getting enough sleep: 12% Textbook photo by James Coller ‘13 Other photos by freedigitalphotos.net 200 students were polled.
Family/Friends: 13%