Tristin Fajna – 9
For some students, spring break sounds like an easy break. Staying home, sleeping in, no school, and a fun break. Yet the week before spring break can be so stressful. Instead of relaxing before the fun times, students are stressed, exhausted, and mentally drained. So why does stress come right before the fun break that is supposed to help us recover from school? For some, this is a common thing, but for others, they usually stay cool before the break.
Teachers usually aim to finish units before a break, which means tons of tests, quizzes, and homework to look forward to. This can make students stressed over all the work they are expected to do. This means staying up late to work on homework and to study. This can cause students to be exhausted in the morning, where they will get more work put on them at school.
Looking forward to break can actually increase stress. When something good is close, it becomes harder to focus on the present. Students may feel like they are trying to “survive” the week instead of managing it positively.
Mental health research shows that academic pressure combines with upcoming deadlines is a major contribution for stress in teens. According to American Psychological Association, students commonly report increased stress during periods of heavy academic workload and time pressure.
Freshman, Ava Epting’s stress level over grades is at a 4 out of 10, because of the grade scores she has, her most stressful class is English, and she deals with her stress by talking to friends.
Sophomore, Jacob Davis’s stress level over grades is at a 5 out of 10, because of his grade scores he has, his most stressful class is Science, and he manages the stress he has by playing basketball.
