EPISODE 5
SCHOOL STRESS
Hi! Welcome to Healthful. It’s nice to have you here. I’m Siluni, the host. It’s episode 5 today, which is very exciting. Thank you for tuning in. Today’s episode is about school stress. I didn’t even have this planned, but the last week has been the most stressed I’ve been from school so far, and I realized I needed to do an episode on school stress to help you and myself. I’m currently in the middle of AP tests and finals, and it’s just been very busy, especially with extracurriculars and things. So in this episode, I will speak from my experience, give you a bunch of advice on how to reduce school stress, and if all the stress from school is even worth it
So why would we get stressed out from school?
Workload: The amount of schoolwork and homework (depends on how many ap, and honors classes)
Pressure to get the best grades, and fear of failure
If we don’t understand something, afraid to ask questions
Lack of organization can get us stressed
Doing all this work can cause not enough sleep
Not enough time to balance school with the rest of your life (I spend most of the day just doing schoolwork)
Participation in class can give people social anxiety
Concerns about college
More responsibilities
Social pressures (need to have friends, you’re not as popular, these can make you dread going to school)
You can say that problem with the school system, and I agree, but that is a topic for another time. Now, I’ll focus on how to reduce that stress, and if school stress is worth it.
Now that we know the causes of the stress, let’s go over what we can do. For one, Fear of failure. This is another huge thing that even affects me. You’re scared to fail a test, and then you get super anxious and nervous, and if you do end up failing it is upsetting. You feel this pressure, that you have to get the best grade on this test. But failing a test does not define who you are. It does not make you a failure, no matter how big of a test it is. If you are constantly not doing well on history tests, it’s not that you are a failure, maybe history isn’t your thing. Ok what if you’re failing both math and history. Ok then, maybe math and history aren’t your thing. Or maybe they are your thing, and it’s just the way you are being taught it. It’s totally ok to need outside help. There are free tutoring services online, and there is so much you can do to get help. Don’t EVER feel embarrassed to ask for help. Just know that failure is not the end of the world, and it doesn’t define you.
Personally, I take AP and honors classes along with community college classes. School is not stressful to everyone, but if you choose to take these more rigorous classes, then it will definitely be harder for you. But it’s amazing that you chose to take these classes in the first place, and challenge yourself. It depends on how much time you have in your day, and what you are personally able to handle. When it comes to these classes, I recommend slowly working your way up. So freshman year I took 1 AP, sophomore year 2 APs, Junior year 3 APs, and Senior year 5 APs. Of course you don’t need to follow this plan, this is my schedule, but the point is so you slowly get used to this workload, and you're not going from no APs to 4 APs in a year. That is a very big change to adjust to, so I would take it slow, but again you know how much you can handle. DO NOT take more than you know you can handle. If taking 3 AP classes is ripping you apart, don’t take 4 the next year. It is not worth it.
Don’t kill yourself trying to look good for college. It’s not worth it at all. You know when you are overworking. For example, I was overworking myself. My eyes were strained from looking at my computer for homework. My back was hurting for sitting down for SO long. I was physically strained as well as mentally strained. Then, I gave up my leadership position that I’ve been doing for the last few months. That made a huge difference for me. I was able to get just a little more time for myself. Sometimes you will have to make sacificices, you can’t kill yourself doing EVERYTHING possible. There is no shame in doing that, because it can help you so much. Instead of trying to do everything you possibly can, try to focus more on things that are more important.
Another thing is lack of organization. Sometimes I’m like, god I have so much do that I literally don’t remember what I have to do. The list is too long. I don't’ know where to even start. It may seem like more work, but make a list of what you have to do. Make a plan the day before, this is what I have to do tomorrow. Do priorities first,if you have an optional extra credit report and a huge final project, do that project first and make you sure you get it done, in case you don’t have time to do the other things. This is mental clutter, not knowing what to do first, but physical clutter plays a role in stress. Don't work in a messy environment. It directly affects your stress. It gives you more stress. This is proven, so be as organized as effective for you. It doesn’t mean cleaning up is your priority while working, just do it as much as you have to
If school is giving you severe anxiety, that can be something to look into further with a medical professional. Try meditation at home or journaling, calming yourself or getting your mind off what's going on. When you take breaks (which YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE BREAKS) take breaks not looking at a screen, and take breaks not reviewing what you just learned, and not reading the news, or having to process more information. Just take a chill break where you are not doing anything, or go outside on a walk. Seeing a therapist is an option depending on how it is for you.
What about the actual workload. Like how do you physically finish all this work you have to do. What if you have other responsibilities, like a little sibling, or taking care of your sick mom, or working a job? For one, if you have a lot of responsibilities that are necessary, you probably shouldn't take many rigorous courses. This will reduce your workload in the first place. As I said earlier, prioritize major assignments that are worth more of your grade, and do as many of those as you can, even if you can’t finish the small assignments.The main thing is to talk to your teacher. Give them your full story, tell them about your responsibilities, and ask if they could at least extend the due date for you. If not, talk to your counselor. They will be understanding when it comes to things like that. Just be completely honest. If school in person is too much, try out online school or homeschooling, those can work more with your schedule. It’s all about finding out what works for you.
Is school worth it? Is all this stress worth it? For me, I think it definitely is, because I have a clear end goal, to become a dermatologist. And when I do get to my end goal, I know I will be living a happy life, and this will all just be a distant memory. Education is so important and it plays a huge role in the career world today. It gives you power. It is hard work, but it leads to success, although the actual school system can be improved. That end goal is what motivates me to push through no matter how hard it is for me right now. But killing yourself to do way more than you can handle, and harming your health to get “a good future”, that is never worth it. If you do as much as you can handle, you have a clear goal, and you want to be successful and happy later in life, yes it is worth it.
Thank you so much for listening! I genuinely hope that this was of some use to you. I just want you to know that your grades don’t define you. As long as you stay motivated, and remember your end goal you will get through this. We will get through this together. I’m so proud that you’re doing this during a pandemic as well, all power to you. If you have any questions about this or anything related to Healthful, please tweet them to me. I will answer in the next episode! Stay safe! This was Siluni with Healthful.