Psychology of Back-to-School Stress

Written by: Kavya Gurunath

edited by: Taruni Manam & Riona Carrington, Layout by Nivi Chozhan

BIGGEST TRIGGERS

Your heart starts pounding, your palms become sweaty, your mouth becomes dry, your thoughts start swirling in your brain. Stress. Whether you have to present your project in front of a crowd, you have an important day in your life coming up, you are worried about your grades, we have all been stressed at some point in our lives. School is the biggest trigger of stress for teenagers nowadays (Smith, 2020). In this article, we will focus on the psychology of back-to-school stress.

Revving the engine

The stress response starts in the brain. When you experience a stressful situation, your amygdala (the brain’s center of emotional processing) sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus “communicates with the rest of the body, through the autonomic nervous system” (Harvard, 2020). The autonomous nervous system is in charge of involuntary responses of the body, such as blood pressure, breathing, heartbeat, etc. The autonomous nervous system consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system is “like a gas pedal ” (Harvard, 2020), triggering the stress response. The parasympathetic nervous system is “like a brake” (Harvard, 2020), slowing and ending the stress response. It calms the body after stress (Harvard, 2020).

The Gas Pedal and The Brake

The hypothalamus alerts the sympathetic nervous, which, in turn, activates the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands pump adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones cause the heart to beat faster, which pushes blood to muscles and vital organs. Small airways in the lungs open up, causing the person to breathe rapidly, and take in more oxygen. The extra oxygen is sent to the brain, which causes your sight and hearing to become more alert. More glucose (blood sugar) and fat are released, increasing your energy. The hypothalamus and other glands pass hormonal signals to keep the stress response going. Once the stressful situation is over, the parasympathetic system kicks in, decreases the cortisol levels, and calms the body down (Harvard, 2020).

Fight or Flight

Now we know how you get stressed. But, why do you get stressed? When you are put in a high-pressure situation, your body releases a set of stress hormones that cause your blood pressure to increase, your breathing to quicken, and your muscles to tense. This is known as a “fight or flight” response. This response to high-pressure situations is actually a survival mechanism. It is meant to get your adrenaline pumping and help you escape or flee from a threat. It can actually help save your life when you are in danger because you become more alert. Unfortunately, your body reacts to having to speak in public and fleeing for your life in the same way. It can’t differentiate between a stressful situation and a life-threatening one, causing it to overreact when you are worried about something. This “fight or flight”, caused by your overreacting body is called stress (Harvard, 2020).

Chaotic Abyss

School manages to stress teens out in many ways. The most common sources of stress for people, in general, are change, deadlines, social interaction, fear of failure, etc. (MayoClinic, 2020). School is a combination of everything on that list. Changing from a calm summer to a hectic school schedule causes stress. Having too much homework due on a certain day causes stress. Worrying about an oral presentation or participating in class causes stress. Being worried about failing your classes causes stress (Oxford Learning, 2018). The shift from a relaxed summer break to the chaotic abyss that is school is the reason going back to school stresses us out. School can be stressful, especially now, but stress is manageable. Common ways to manage stress are exercise, meditation, painting, or doing something you love. For more information on how to manage stress, check out our article in the first issue of this magazine: How Stress Sucks, and How to Make it Suck Less.

REFERENCES

Harvard. (2020, July 6). Understanding the Stress Response. Harvard Health Publishing https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response

MayoClinic. (2020). Stress Management: Know your triggers. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-management/art-20044151

Oxford Learning. (2018, May 28). Common Causes of School Stress for Students. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/causes-of-school-stress/#:~:text=New%20classes%2C%20new%20teachers%2C%20and,take%20time%20to%20adjust%20to.&text=As%20they%20progress%20through%20school,entering%20their%20high%20school%20years

Smith, K. (2020). 6 Common Triggers of Teen Stress. PSYCOM. https://www.psycom.net/common-triggers-teen-stress/#:~:text=For%20teens%2C%20the%20most%20commonly,their%20family%20(65%20percent)