If you’ve been struggling to combat school stress, you’re not alone. In fact, Studies suggest that 77.9% of students worry about grades, 70.5% stress about their academic performance in general, and 83% of students identify school as a major stressor.
When academic pressures are paired with big life changes, it’s not uncommon or abnormal to feel a little overwhelmed. However, if or when it starts getting to you, there are tonnes of different strategies you can try out to get back to feeling your best, and we’re going to teach you about a few today!
What Is School Stress
Before delving into school stress relief strategies, it’s important to establish an understanding of what stress actually is and the potential causes behind it. According to the World Health Organisation, or WHO for short, stress is our body’s natural response to challenges or threats.
When our bodies signal that we’re stressed, they don’t intend to make you feel bad for no reason. Rather, they’re simply trying to tell us that something is wrong or that we’re taking on too much. Instead of trying to avoid stress and making it the bad guy, we need to figure out what it’s trying to tell us and address its root cause. Only then can we establish healthy coping techniques that serve us in the long run!
What Causes School Stress
When looking for the root cause of school stress, it’s important to understand that there’s no one cause that applies to everyone. In fact, it’s usually a combination of stressful situations that end up adding up! To determine where your stress is coming from, check out these common causes and see if you can relate to any:
#1 Academics
If you’re stressed out by upcoming assignments, missed deadlines, or grades in general, one root cause of your stress is academics. This is a common source that gets to all of us at one point or another. Luckily, you don’t just have to deal with it; there are tonnes of remedies if you take the time to look.
If you’re dealing with academic school stress, try:
- Using a planner to map out study sessions, due dates and important topics to revise.
- Speaking to a teacher to review any subjects you don’t understand.
- Suggesting a study session with friends to share knowledge and keep each other on track.
- Asking your parents if tutoring is an option for you.
#2 Social Stress
Social stress at school is just as common as academic stress and can often feel even worse. Students can be pretty mean sometimes, and navigating the rocky terrain of high school friendships is no easy task.
However, regardless of whether you’re dealing with bullies, fake friends, or social pressure, there are ways to alleviate your stress, such as:
- Talking about it with a friend you trust or a family member.
- Addressing the issue head-on with an honest conversation.
- Turning to a teacher that you like for guidance.
- Choosing to step away from toxic friend groups.
#3 Family Issues
If you have family issues going on at home, it’s hard to tune them out during school hours. Family issues are a major stressor for students, so if your home life has you feeling blue, you’re not alone.
When facing family issues, try:
- Picking up a new extracurricular if you need space.
- Spending time with your friends.
- Talking about your family issues with someone you trust.
- Journaling about your feelings.
Signs of School Stress
If you aren’t currently feeling stressed out but want to prepare yourself for the next time you do, being able to recognise stress symptoms and warning signs is super important. If you feel yourself exhibiting any of these signs, it’s probably time to start taking your well-being a little more seriously. That way, you can avoid becoming burnt out in the long run!
- Feeling more annoyed, tired or depressed than usual.
- Getting sick more often.
- Headaches and stomach-aches.
- Not being able to sleep or, alternatively, sleeping too much.
- Changes in appetite.
- Finding hobbies less enjoyable.
- Trouble concentrating.
Why Is it Important to Manage School Stress
As we’ve already touched on, school stress can have a big impact on emotional, mental, and physical health. Moreover, the brain drain caused by stress can often lead to poor performance in school (so if you’re burning yourself out to get good grades, your strategy might be counterintuitive).
Conversely, when we look after our well-being by keeping our stress levels down, we feel happier, stronger, and have clearer heads. The result of this is being more productive and doing better at school! Essentially, it’s a win-win: feel great and achieve better results!
School Stress Relief Strategies
If you’re looking for some stress relief strategies to get you started on your self-care journey, we’ve got you covered! Simply try out one of these:
- Practice Mindfulness.
- Identify Your Triggers.
- Get Enough Sleep.
- Plan Ahead and Get Organised.
- Eat Delicious and Nutritious Foods.
- Exercise.
- Leave Time for Fun.
- Clean Your Room.
Discover Other Student Tips
Now that you know how to manage your stress, it’s time to check out other student-related topics under our Student Life blog category! Take the stress out of your next steps by checking out our guide to deciding between university and the workforce, or gain confidence by reading our article on navigating career fairs.
Whatever’s stressing you out, we have articles to help you solve your problem.
