Between homework, exams, extracurricular activities, and all of the high expectations from teachers, many students find it difficult to maintain their mental health while keeping up with school responsibilities. For some students, balancing academics and their personal life can become a big challenge.
Some things that can stress students out are always being on the go and never having time for themselves. For example, the life of a student athlete. Student athletes not only work hard to improve on their physical abilities for their sport, but they also have to work hard academically. Especially if you have bad grades, you’re not even allowed to play. So, what I’m trying to say is that there can be a lot of pressure on them. Even with having to wake up early to be at school for 7-8 hours, and then immediately having sports, whether it’s a game or practice, it still lasts for hours. Then, when going home, they might have responsibilities to take care of around the house, such as chores. What makes this even more stressful is when they have a lot of homework.
Giving a lot of homework can stress out a lot of students, especially when they have a lot of other things going on in their personal lives. For example, if I have too much homework, I get overstimulated by how much I have to do. I understand that if you didn’t finish your work in class, it’s obviously homework. However, for the teacher to give a lot of work during class time and then giving homework to the students, is becomes overly stressful. Some students even stay up late doing homework, whether it’s because they have a busy personal life or they started late and didn’t realize it would take that long.
Having a lack of sleep can affect the way your brain operates, as you need a full 8 hours of sleep to be fully regenerated and focused for the day. Several students say that the pressure to perform well academically often comes at the cost of sleep and personal time and can increase stress and anxiety. Some things that you can do to work on your mental health is time management. If you have a busy personal life it would be helpful to plan your days in advance. Taking breaks from doing work and just relaxing can help. Even if it means having to miss a practice or a game because you’re overwhelmed, do it! Your mental health is one of the most important things ever. Sports can even help some people if they actually enjoy it and believe that it helps them clear their head. Although, if you don’t enjoy the sport, then that’s not an effective way to take a break.
Lastly, talking to someone like a friend, parent, or even a counselor can help. When you don’t have anyone to talk to and you’re bottling up your stress, it can affect your mental health. It’s always best to have someone to talk to and express your feelings. Don’t be afraid to let it out to anyone who’s willing to listen.
