Note: This piece is a staff editorial, which is an opinion article meant to reflect the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff. Because of this, the author’s name does not appear alongside the story, as the opinions shared in here are based on class discussions about the topic among the 10 DOI staff members. The staff is composed of students of all grades from a variety of backgrounds and experiences; therefore, the editorial speaks to the publication’s view on a subject and is not representative of each staff member’s exact view on the issue at hand.
We’ve all been there – the stress from a mountain of homework that eventually turns into a mad dash to complete it before the infamous 11:59 pm deadline. It’s a feeling we’re all familiar with, but have you ever stopped to think if that stressful feeling is actually necessary?
Stress can happen for a number of reasons. Whether it’s a survival instinct passed down through generations or just due to daily hassles, it’s only intended to be present for short periods of time.
“If we as humans are now feeling stress over a long period of time every day, like chronic stress, that can lead to a lot of negative health effects,” a DOI staff member said. “If stress is chronic over time, that’s not really what it was meant for, and it can end up leading to a lot of problems.”
According to a study conducted by New York University, 49% of all students surveyed reported feeling a great deal of stress daily, and 31% reported feeling somewhat stressed. When you find yourself in that funk, it’s hard to get out of it.
“I feel like it’s sort of a loop because you get stressed, and then you feel the pressure of the stress, and then you do bad, and then you have more reasons to feel stressed, and then you’re feeling more stress, and then it just keeps getting worse,” another staff member said.
In some cases, however, stress can be positive. Eustress is defined as a moderate or normal psychological stress that’s often interpreted as being beneficial. Eustress can motivate you to try that new roller coaster at Great America, or, in the case of most high schoolers, finish your pile of homework, even if that involves procrastinating beforehand.
“Personally, I feel like there are some parts of stress that help me, like if I’m really stressed because I’m procrastinating about something, and then it’s just like, oh, wait, I fixed this stress by just doing it,” a staff member said. “So sometimes it helps me refocus.”
Regardless of the negatives or positives of stress, it matters how you manage it. LHS offers many options to manage stress, whether it’s the mental weight or just managing the workload.
“In school, we have those resources, like the CRC and office hours and [other things], and it’s about being intentional about getting our work done, which can help alleviate some of that stress,” a staff member said.
The CRC can be a great place for seniors who have the added stress of the college application process to get help and advice on their applications and essays. The Workshop, formerly the MASH, has teachers from every department who are available to help every period of the day. Most teachers also offer office hours before and after school for extra help on a unit or assignment, which can help students relieve some stress they might be harboring over their school workload. And for those who could benefit from extra help, LHS offers access to interventionists in almost every department and an executive functioning coach.
Once we leave high school, we’re more likely to be inundated with more stressors. With the majority moving away from home, learning to support themselves and learning new life skills, high school stress can also help us prepare for the future.
“Once high school finishes, you’re not going to be alleviated of stress completely,” a staff member said. “There’s going to be things that are constantly stressing you in your life.”
Overall, stress is definitely necessary in school to an extent. If stress can be managed while it’s still small and isn’t given a chance to turn into chronic stress, it can actually be rather beneficial to our development and how we tackle life.
