Emily Telesco, Features Editor
Graphic by Victoria Tremblay
Stress. A six-letter word that seemingly plagues the lives of teenagers everywhere. It’s the uncomfortable feeling you get before an important test, the pressure to get a bulk of homework done the night before its due, the overwhelming anxiety you get when you think about college, your future.
Take two student experiences, for example.
*Charlie, a junior, juggles several advanced classes while dedicating her afternoons to theater. Most evenings she has to work until late at night to complete all her homework while also studying for various exams. The high expectations she sets for herself create an overwhelming amount of stress and anxiety that frequently leaves her exhausted the next day at school. If this sounds relatable, you’re not alone. Her experience with stress is similar to the majority of high school students.
On the other hand, *Jordan, also a junior, takes similarly demanding courses and plays a sport after school. However, as he’s completing all his homework and studying for a math test he has the next day, he doesn’t get intimidated. Even though he feels the pressure to perform, he knows that if he pushes through this challenge and tries his best, he will have the knowledge and experience he needs to do well in this test and any future challenges.
So, what makes the difference between these two students?
Perspective.
Because the environment at NCHS is exceedingly competitive, the pressure to excel just does not stop. One of the biggest reasons for stress is increasing academic pressure. As students, we tend to believe that one bad test grade or one flawed presentation will ruin our chances of getting into their dream college and securing a bright future. This causes us to set extremely high expectations for ourselves, and we quickly become overwhelmed with hours of studying and fulfilling extracurricular activities.
Recognizing this, NCHS has done a great job taking initiative to help students manage stress. In a December email sent to the NCHS community, Principal Egan listed various ways students are being supported. Some of these initiatives included no homework over breaks, assessment rescheduling flexibility, available free periods, and other support programs to help students balance academics with their wellbeing.
However, before we dismiss stress as entirely harmful, what if we could look at it through a different lens? What if we could use it to harness daily challenges and fuel our potential without compromising our wellbeing?
Teen Talk Counselor Martha Huitron helps ensure the wellbeing of students year-round. She provides confidential support for students dealing with any mental issues ranging from academic concerns to anxiety and depression. That said, Ms. Huitron recognizes how different people respond to stress in varying ways. “It depends on many factors, including our family environment, relationships, childhood experiences, our ability to use coping strategies, and even our knowledge of ourselves,” she said. “Someone who has experienced trauma will struggle with stress more than someone who has not. In the same way, a person who has been taught to use coping skills since childhood will be more likely to thrive under pressure than a student who doesn’t have coping mechanisms.”
While Ms. Huitron understands the risks of chronic stress, she also sees how a moderate amount of stress can actually be beneficial. “Sometimes, when a student has chronic stress that is affecting their daily functioning, it is necessary to make changes in their daily routine to alleviate stress,” she said. “However, if we are talking about everyday stress, lowering expectations is not going to help in the long run, as stressors are always going to be present. The most important thing is not to run away from stress, but to have a “tool box” full of coping skills to manage that stress.”
Senior Radea Raleva, who balances difficult classes with demanding extracurriculars such as theater and track, experiences the constant pressure of performing well both academically and outside of school. Still, she believes that the stress can operate as a motivator instead of something that holds her back. “I would say that I generally have a healthy relationship with stress – I think a little bit of stress is good because it motivates me to be productive and do my best work,” she said. “However, there are times when I really overload myself and the stress does get to be overwhelming and holds me back.”
Stress itself actually has several misconceptions; some of which may be surprising to some. Perceiving stress in a way that avoids these misconceptions may help teens better cope, and even use it to grow. “One misconception is that we need to eliminate every single symptom of stress because it is bad for us. – Everyone needs to learn how to self-soothe and deal with distress on their own in order to succeed in life,” Ms. Huitron said. “If parents or others try to eliminate all stress, a child will not be able to learn how to cope on their own. As they get older and responsibilities increase, these coping skills become more important.”
Still, it can be hard for students not to feel pressured or stressed to do well in such a competitive environment. Radea navigates this by separating herself from the competition. “I’m the kind of person who never checks their grades, and I trust in my abilities to succeed. I prefer to live in peace knowing my grade reflects my work, rather than comparing myself to others and their success,” she said.
Nonetheless, for many other students, it’s more difficult to avoid the pressure that comes from academic competition. But, what if there was a way we could interpret this stress in a positive way, eventually benefiting us in the long-run? There is, and it’s called Eustress. “Competition can be healthy as long as it’s not all consuming or leads to perfectionism. Eustress is good stress that helps motivate us to do our best. Clinical psychiatrist Dr. Michael Genovese says we rarely think of stress as a positive thing, but eustress is just that — positive stress,” Ms. Huitron said.
A similar way we can use stress to our advantage is through something called stress reappraisal. According to the University of Rochester, stress reappraisal is not aimed at eliminating stress – it does not encourage relaxation, but instead focuses on changing the type of stress response. Essentially, if we believe we have sufficient resources to address the demands we’re presented with, our body is going to respond with the challenge response, which means stress is seen as a challenge, rather than a threat.
Stress reappraisal is a useful way to reframe stress, and is an important part of therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – a goal-oriented therapy for various mental health conditions. “It is a powerful tool. How we perceive stress will define the response we have towards it,” Ms. Huitron said. “Through education on reframing, a person can flip negative stress to Eustress, which can be used to their benefit. However, this stress appraisal is determined by the stress level, how functional the person is, and the practice of it. It is best to practice stress appraisal when no stress is present and as much as possible.”
The individual effects of using stress reappraisal are significant. A study done by the University of Rochester showed that within a group of community college students taking math courses, the reappraisal participants exhibited lower levels of math evaluation anxiety both immediately and on a subsequent exam.
All things considered, it’s important that we don’t immediately dismiss stress as this scary, debilitating obstacle. Instead, looking at it as stepping stones to growth can improve our response to stress and how we cope with it. Whether we like it or not, stress is always going to be a part of our lives. Learning how to manage it now ensures that we’re prepared to handle challenges in the future.
“I believe that to an extent, stress is a positive thing. It’s historically existed to help people in dangerous situations, making them go into fight or flight mode, so it can empower us in our own challenging situations,” Radea said.
*names changed for privacy purposes
