Checking In: A Look at Student Stress and Mental Wellness
Have you ever wondered why students are extremely burned out, tired, and always seeming to be lethargic? Stress plays a massive part of our daily lives. In-fact, it determines our mood and overall physical and mental health. Although stress is not considered to be a psychiatric diagnose, it can develop psychiatric conditions like anxiety and depression. But for our younger generation, discomfort often comes from school assignments and overwork. Often enough, it is covered up and not often seen. Learn about effective ways to help support students.
Looking into the typical life of a student, we see extracurriculars, sports, and the regular academic assignments we are familiar with. This is totally great— only if they know how to balance everything. According to neaToday, “Too many enrichment activities can result in an “overscheduled” student, and that can have adverse effects—namely heightened stress and anxiety— particularly at the high school level.”
This is particulary concerning as high schools may encourage individuals to join the soccer team or be apart of the drama club. Although these enrichment programs lower drop-out rates, too many of them can cause excessive stress leading to depression or long-term anxiety. In rural towns, there is a limited amount of support. This means, students who experience symptoms such as burnout or early signs of depression, it is extremely difficult to find a mental health professional.
Moreover, the essential question here would be “How can we induce management skills to our younger generation?”
Shift from a “more is better” mindset to “this is a priority” mindset
Use visual tools such as calendars to audit schedules
Normalize quiting
