Stress is a relevant issue to me and my peers because many students struggle with stress throughout high school. Stress was actually a term that was used in physics to describe a force that puts a strain on a physical body. Not having stress can improve your mood, and allows you to be more productive during the day. Too much stress can affect teens development of the brain, and it also can be very harmful to your body. All the unwanted stress leads them to losing interest in school and their regular daily activities. Stress is also known to increase the suicide rate, or sometimes can lead to self-harm. Girls also tend to feel stress harder than male peers, and as a female I understand very well the stress that comes from school and home. I chose this topic because most students I know has gone under some form of stress, and by personal experience as well, I feel this issue needs to be stressed more.
Before, the term stress was used to describe how people felt, it was a issue between physicians if psychological stress like loss of loved ones or frustration can also be considered stressful situations. In the 1920’s a researcher named Hans Selye started using the term for some hospitalized patients who all seem to be under physical stress. John Mason, a physician, also conducted an experiment using monkeys as test subjects and showed Physiological stress was as powerful as physical stress. He tested what the monkeys reactions were when one group was left alone and another group watched other moneys receive food while they sat there. In one interesting experiment, researchers measured the stress hormone levels of experienced parachute jumpers mentioned in “What is Stress? History of Stress”. Even though diving can be a stressful experience the stress hormone levels were pretty normal. But then found a difference when testing diving students and their instructors. Students were calmer a day before but stressed on the next day before the jump while the instructors feelings were vice versa. In the end Stress is not always considered physical, it is also physiological, and that’s what I am going to trying to discuss about.
This issue is important because some people do not find healthy ways to deal with the issue. This affects my peers because it hinders them from progressing in school. It causes my peers to have premature white hairs, and other effects such as hair loss and loss of appetite. As growing teens we need to fully grow and develop. If they encounter too much stress, it can be bad for their brain development. Others might resort to do unhealthy things like smoking and drinking, which can cause other health risks. Overall my peers need to fully understand less stress is good for the development of the brain, and there are healthy ways to relieve stress like sports, being artistic, musical, reading and writing.
Many adolescents are affected by stress that can range from big too small. “More than a quarter (27%) of students say they experience extreme stress.” Many cases read that students take on too many extra curricular activities, or many advanced placement courses to be seen as a top student in their class. Sometimes tight schedules don’t work for everyone. “1 in 5 teens qualifies as clinically depressed”, says Michele Borba in her blog 15 Serious Facts About High School Stress. This relates to my community by how many students are overwhelmed with school and at home issues. Especially when students do extracurricular activities and advance placement courses they tend to have lots of homework and in the end don’t complete them and fall behind. During the teen years is when many of my peers are changing and developing, and sometimes parents are not able to catch up with their children, which can cause many arguments and problems. Overall students try to cram their schedules and hopping to get good results from it and that’s not always the case. It is a difficult transition age, where we get a taste of the real world.
Stress is a relevant issue to me and my peers because many students struggle with stress during high school. The issue I chose was stress because many high school students know the feeling of feeling stressed at the end of a long day. Stress can be resolved if students stopped cramming their schedules, and make time for themselves and go out and get fresh air. Take some time to meditate, go out with friends, be out in open nature. Time for yourself is very important, and no one should be deprived of their free time. No one should push themselves far and beyond to reach a goal like trying to enter a prestigious college, or make your family proud, I’m sure they will accept the best you can be. You don’t need stress like that to rule in your life, don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Work Cited:
- Hellmich, Nancy. ”Parents:Yelling,Swearing at Teens backfires Big Time.” Ganett News Service. 03 Sep. 2013: n.p.SIRS Issues Researcher Web. 08.Sep.2015
- Mundy. Liza. “High School Anxiety”. Washington Post Magazine. Oct.23 2005: 20+SIRS Issues Researcher.web.09 sep.2015
- Abeles, Vicki. “Students Without a Childhood.” USA Today. 26 Sep. 2014:A.10. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 09 Sep. 2015
- “What is Stress? The History of stress.” Centre for Studies on Human Stress. 23.Sep. 2015
Kali Garcia
Raoul Wallenberg High School 