Stress
by: Kushang Vashi
As I walk through the halls of Signature School, I see many students constantly worrying about grades, tests, projects, and events outside of school. With finals coming up in about a week, the issue of stress has reached its peak. In order to survive the next month and solve problems outside of school, one must be able to cope with stress.
Stress is a psychological and physiological response to events that upset our balance in some way. Some of the cognitive symptoms of stress include memory problems, indecisiveness, inability to concentrate, and poor judgment. Headaches, backaches, eating less or more, short temper, lack of sleep, weight gain or loss, or even overreacting to common problems are other symptoms of stress. The factors that affect the levels of stress include the environment, family and relationship, work, and social. If stress levels are higher than normal, severe depression, health problems, and other emotional problems can occur.
One of the best ways to handle stress is to balance your activities. Kolin Rubel, a junior at Signature School, stated, "Although Signature School is a stressful school with its homework load, I try to find time to relax by listening to music or running." On the other hand, Joey Ferris, a senior at Signature School, said, "Signature School is not very stressful and the best way to relax is by exercising." With finals coming up, one of the best ways to study is to spend about 15-45 minutes at a time on each subject for preparation. Instead of waiting last minute to do an assignment, it is recommended by Teens Health to do it early so one doesn't have to worry about it later. Other methods of handling stress are learning to relax, treating your body with respect, and sleeping well, for sleep can help one's body be able to cope with stress, solve problems step-by-step, and consider actions before executing them.
Although these are some recommendations for dealing with stress, it is now up to the students to decide on how they want to handle the situation.
Sources: