Stress-Free Week fails at easing tensions

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Over the past week, I’ve had four tests and quizzes, six important assignments due, and a plethora of homework, keeping me awake into the wee early hours of morning.

Even so, I’ve talked to many people who say they have much more schoolwork than me(namely juniors and seniors, which makes sense). The past week has been one of the most stressful of the school year.

It is Stress-Free Week.

While I do appreciate the effort the school has taken to address the issue of extreme stress for students, simply dedicating a week to stress awareness does little to address the dire problem.

In fact, many of the fellow students I met this week commented that it has been anything but stress-free this week. With Showcase, an annual concert for the fine arts held for three days occurring this weekend, semester exams next week, and various extra-curricular and athletic commitments, it’s no wonder.

Is simply offering hot cocoa and puppies going to completely fix this?

According to NBC News, teens are now more stressed than adults. This, in my experience, is due to the uncertainty of our lives.

While many adults have much of their lives figured out, and are in stable positions, teenagers do not. Many of us do not know what classes to take next year. Many of us do not know what colleges to apply for. We do not know whether we should volunteer or take a job, or do neither. We do not know what our dream career is. We are still figuring out what we want to do. We live in an age where time flies, and decisions are expected to be made swiftly.

But the important decisions we face today cannot be made so quickly.

Students are overloaded with the stress from crucial dilemmas, along with regular school and home activities. This leads, in many cases to chronic stress and depression. More than a quarter of teens across the nation say they experience “extreme stress” regularly over the school year, according to a recent Stress in America survey focusing on teens, conducted by the American Psychological Association. Thirty-one percent of teens say they are overwhelmed, thirty percent are depressed or sad, thirty one percent are tired and twenty three percent skip meals because of stress.

What can the school do about this? Is there even anything a school can do, besides simply raising awareness?

There is no way to completely eliminate all the stress experienced during high school, but there are ways schools can help to reduce it.

One way to do this, may be to make free study periods more available to students. While many students already have free study periods, a majority of students simply do not have the room in their schedules to have a study hall. More people should be encouraged to take this class. Study halls, when used productively, can help students get ahead start on homework, projects, and studying. The time can be used to get clarification on topics from teachers as well.

According to The Business Insider, a 2014 survey of public school teachers found that high schoolers have to complete an average of 3.5 hours of homework nightly, often more. Plus, the majority of teens are also participating in at least one extracurricular activity during high school. This means that the hours immediately after school usually cannot be devoted to studying or working on assignments, ensuring late nights for a majority of students. Having a free period during the day can help alleviate this problem.

This is just one of the plethora of ways a school can help alleviate stress for high school students. By offering the guidance and encouragement of adults to teens, stress can be reduced much more effectively than just raising awareness.