Are You A Stressed Student? Tips For Managing School Stress

The number of students in high school and college who are stressed or feeling anxious continues to rise. However, there are things that you can do as a stressed student to help manage your studies and the stress that can come with it. If you're a parent of a college or high school student, you may also benefit from learning how stress can impact your child.

Understanding stress in students

Student stress begins early, with academic pressure building from a young age. The topics that kindergarteners are required to know have also increased over the years. Many teachers find that by the time students reach high school or attend college, students are already experiencing some academic burnout. 

Academic stress can lead to significant mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, which can have a negative impact on academic performance. Students often see anxiety as the top problem among their peers. If feelings of nervousness, stress, and anxiety are left unmanaged, or if students feel they do not have an adequate support system for their mental state, those feelings may become significant mental health problems. 

Causes of stress in high school students

There are several causes of high school stress that you might see in your child or other high school students, including the following. 

Unrealistic expectations

Students are often expected to attend school and stay on top of their homework. Some students might have to work on top of being in school, while others are involved in extracurriculars where they may experience pressure.  

All these factors together can feel overwhelming. Many high school students aren't taught the time management skills needed to manage these expectations. They may also feel afraid to accept or acknowledge that they don't have the time for it.

Since this is a skill that students are still learning, many of them may not understand how to set proper boundaries with their schedules. Many children are dependent on their parents or primary caregiver to provide structure and schedule out their day. Once children transition to adulthood and gain more independence, they may have more opportunities to plan their days and schedules.

As a parent, it may help if you discuss your child's schedule with them. Ask them how they feel about their workload, if they want a job, or if they feel overwhelmed. You can help them come up with solutions to their problems by being a mentor to them.  

Social media

Social media may add to the stress for many students. Bullying or self-comparison can occur online, even when students leave school. Some students may feel like they don't measure up to their peers when they view unrealistic standards online. 

Researchers have found that social media has other negative impacts on students, and as the National Education Association notes, "the very definition of 'social' media may be misleading, according to experts who find that the more time teens spend on social media, the lonelier and more anxious they are."

Home life

Many high school students deal with issues in their home life outside of school. Teens who struggle in school may be experiencing abuse, trauma, mental health concerns, or a significant transition at home, such as a recent move or divorce. 

Conflicts like these can weigh heavily on students - it can be hard to navigate these situations without knowing who to turn to for help.

Brain development 

The teen years and early 20s are often formative periods when students discover and fine-tune who they are. They may search for their place among their peers or question who they want to be. 

Dating may also enter the picture around this age, bringing many pressures and stressors. The brain's prefrontal cortex is not completely developed until a person is around 25 years old. Impulsive, emotional decisions may become much more common before age 25. 

Many adolescents feel trapped between feeling like adults who can make their own decisions and still feeling controlled or infantilized by the people in their lives. This tension can feel frustrating and difficult to maneuver.

Causes of stress in college students

When heading to college, students often move away from the support system of friends, family, and significant others. When they struggle at school, they may not know where to turn, and it could take time to learn how to adjust and build a college support system. 

College students may also face new responsibilities. For example, they are entering a new world of adulthood, but many feel the same that they felt as a teenager. They may gain new freedoms, such as drinking or going out without supervision. Additionally, there may not be a support network to ensure they are studying for exams, eating well, sleeping, cleaning up, or taking care of themselves. 

If students don't know how to manage their time properly, they may fall behind or feel stressed and scared. With new types of academia, students who succeeded in high school could struggle in college. They could face new challenges, as the course load is often more complex in higher education. 

Another major factor in college stress is not getting enough sleep, which may be caused by late-night studying, social events, and irregular sleep schedules. Sleep deprivation can worsen stress and lead to various physical symptoms, such as fatigue, weakened immunity, and concentration problems. Ultimately, stress affects academic performance, as tired students struggle to retain information and focus during lectures and exams. 

Substance abuse adds to college stress, as students may use alcohol or drugs to cope. This can harm their physical and mental health, increases stress, and worsens existing issues. Students should be aware of the risks and seek healthier stress management strategies. To help students manage stress, promote time management, exercise, and offer stress-coping workshops. Creating a supportive environment where students can discuss stress and seek help is crucial for maintaining their well-being.

Tips for managing stress as a high school or college student 

If you're in high school or college and experiencing stress, there are several techniques you can try to lower feelings of stress or anxiety. 

Use a planner

Keeping track of everything you must do can feel overwhelming, especially if you're trying to remember everything in your head. If you are struggling to balance your activities, try using a planner. 

There are many planners or calendar apps to help you organize your life. You might also choose to use the calendar on your phone or a physical paper planner. It's up to you to make the decision that works for you. 

Consider setting reminders for your classes, meetings, and appointments. Make sure to set aside time to fit your homework in as well. Once you have your schedule set, try to follow it. If your friends want to go out, but you need to study for a big exam the next day, follow what your schedule has set for you.

You might also want to schedule time for a mental health break or fun activity. If you're feeling burned out, consider not filling your agenda with only stressful or high-energy activities or assignments.

If you're struggling to focus, consider downloading a focus app that blocks you from using social media, apps, or the internet while you work. Some apps allow you to manually "allow" certain websites so you can still study while you work. 

Set boundaries

Try not to allow others to make plans for you. Learn what boundaries you want to set with family, friends, and clubs that you're in and stick to them. Setting limits may help people learn how you accept being treated. 

You may need to learn to say "no." You don't have to agree to every plan that your friends make, and you may not be able to serve on every club or board that sounds interesting. If you accept every outing, offer, or opportunity, you may become burned out or find other people shirking their responsibilities onto you.

Practice self-care

Self-care can be critical for your mental health. Self-care doesn't necessarily mean doing what you want to do at the moment. However, taking responsibility for yourself as you would care for a friend or sibling may be beneficial. The following items are potential ways to care for yourself. Research shows that proper self-care can help students better cope with stress and anxiety.

Get enough sleep 

When you get adequate sleep, it can help you perform at your best. When you don't get enough sleep, it can make things more complicated than they need to be by affecting your memory, mood, focus, and perspective. If you stay up late studying for exams, it may not be a sign of academic integrity and grit but poor time management skills. Managing your time well during the day can give you more sleep at night. Alcohol affects your sleep cycle by preventing you from entering the deep sleep cycles that your brain needs to be healthy. Even if you go to a school or are in a social circle where binge drinking is normalized, consider abstaining from drinking before necessary tests or classes. 

Eat a balanced diet 

Many college students find themselves living on a diet of ramen noodles, pizza, beer, and other nutrient-deficient items. However, clinical studies have shown a close relationship between the quality of food you eat and your mental health. Your body and your mind need the right vitamins and minerals from food to function properly. Take note of how you feel after eating a balanced meal, such as roasted chicken with vegetables, versus how you feel after eating pizza or fast food. If you live in a dorm room, you may look into getting a meal plan at your university or asking for financial support from family. Your mental and physical health and grades may improve if you dedicate time to eating or preparing balanced meals daily. 

If you decide to make your own meals, try watching cooking videos and asking others for cooking advice. It may become a fun hobby for you! 

Exercise regularly

Exercise has been clinically proven to help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve cognitive function, increase focus, and help with problems like low self-esteem or social withdrawal. 

This doesn't necessarily mean you need to be an athlete or play a sport. Exercising could be something like going for a walk or dancing. Exercise is excellent for boosting your mood and helping your body function properly. It may help you feel happier, sleep better, and think more clearly. 

Stretching for five to ten minutes every hour while studying or doing homework can also help improve focus and mental well-being (and your back will thank you later).

Journal

Journaling can be a great way to get it all out if you are feeling stressed. Studies show that expressive writing, such as journaling, benefits your mental health. You can write out all your feelings and the things causing you stress. It may allow you to vent and release emotions without causing harm.  

You may also find new solutions to problems that come from objectively reading your thoughts and feelings after writing them down.

Meditate

Learning to meditate may help you clear your head, re-focus your thoughts, and relieve stress. Meditating generally includes deep breathing exercises, which can also be very helpful in reducing stress. If you're unsure whether you have time for meditation, studies show that mindfulness practices (a form of meditation) can be done on the go.  

Meditation often means learning how to control your thoughts and emotions. Many free apps could guide you through the process. A popular meditation exercise is learning to let your thoughts and feelings flow through you while taking notice of them and then allowing them to pass. 

Manage your perspective

Thoughts can come and go. It may help you to change your perspective about how you think. For example, you might tell yourself that thoughts are temporary and you can control how you behave, even if your thoughts feel scary or negative. 

There can be many perspectives on any situation, and we often get to choose how we view things. You may be able to see things in a more positive light if you look at the world optimistically. 

Negative self-talk may harm your mental health. If you constantly think negatively about yourself and your circumstances, you may affect your reality more than you realize. 

Choose positive words to think about yourself and your situation. Replacing your inner critic with a compassionate, supportive inner coach may have a widespread effect on your life. For example, developing a positive outlook on life and embracing optimism can help students manage stress and maintain a healthier perspective. Replacing negative self-talk with encouraging thoughts can greatly improve your health.

Pamela Walker, LMSW

Been coming to Pamela for about a month, and she’s honestly a very good therapist. I’m a college student who has never done therapy, didn’t know what to expect out of it, and it's definitely better and beyond my expectations.”

How therapy can help you manage stress

Therapy can be an effective way to learn how to control your stress levels. Therapy may not only benefit people who are dealing with a mental health condition. Often, therapists can support anyone who wants tools, resources, and more tips to handle life's everyday struggles. An experienced therapist may teach you essential coping skills to manage your school workload, other activities, and personal life. 

Many schools have a counselor you can talk to about struggles that you're facing. If you are over 18, you may want to try online therapy. This type of treatment can be an effective way to get time with a therapist without adding another physical errand to your potentially long list of things to do. 

Surveys conducted among students at multiple California universities found that approximately 41% of the students reported issues with depression and stress. As a result of changing world events, universities have significantly bolstered their online counseling services. According to the Director of Counseling at Sacramento State University, online counseling was found to be "very effective" in helping students manage their depression and anxiety, particularly when safe avail to in-person therapy was challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

One recent study showed that online therapy effectively reduced psychological distress symptoms among students. Another review of 17 studies concluded that online CBT is effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety and depression and is often more cost-effective than traditional therapy.

If you want to try online therapy, online platforms like BetterHelp may help you via video chat, phone calls, texting, email, voice recording, or any combination. Online counseling can be a great way to tailor your treatment to what fits your needs.