Are We A Bit Too Stressed?

BOSTON, U.S. -- As people grow older, life begins to become more stressful, especially during high school and college. Stress can affect students in various ways. Cathy Chin, a sophomore at Boston Latin School (BLS), states that her stress is not caused by bad time management, but rather due to the workload given to her by the teachers. She feels that there is too much work and too little time. The need to finish all the work can push students to frustration and even to stress.

Richard Richter, a math teacher at BLS, has also noticed that his students are stressed. He thinks it is due to the pressure to perform well. When giving his students homework, he considers the amount of work in a general way and in relation to all the other teachers a student has.

Another sophomore at BLS, ZeTian Zhou, feels that school is not one of the main reasons for stress. He says that he gets worried about being yelled at by his teachers when he does not do his work. Other than that, Zhou believes he feels no stress at all. Though he rarely feels stress, he knows that his friends are stressed as they are in the midst of applications for various jobs and programs.

For rising juniors and seniors, finding a job may become a cause of stress. Casey Moy, a sophomore at BLS, feels that finding a job is stressful because 'there’s so much competition with everyone.” Even going through the job process can be stressful. She says that even interviews can be difficult as ”it’s awkward to talk about yourself in front of strangers."

Zhou says that stress can be “a double-edged sword of sorts.” It can help you to stay on top of things, but too much of it can make you feel depressed and die young. Moy believes that stress pushes you to do better and set higher standards.

Stress in high school can be a problem, but figuring out how to overcome it is part of being a teenager.