by Jared Valencia
Stress can affect people in many ways such as mentally, financially or academically. Academically, stress happens due to students striving to get good grades in school, but they tend to feel pressured to do so. Homework, less sleeping hours, unhealthy food habits, etc. can be the cause of academic stress.
Carlos Alfaro, a 9th grader at Yerba Buena High School said, “High school is harder than I expected.” It’s harder for him because in middle school most of his classes were easy and now they have gotten harder due to excessive amount of homework.
Alfaro’s grades are not looking too good. Carlos has an F in math and biology. He took Math 1 over the summer, and now that he is in Math 2, it is harder for him. Those 2 F’s are stressing him out because he doesn’t want to get in trouble. He said, “I need to start working harder in class and I need to start doing my homework.”
Livingstrong.com states, “Stress is the body’s natural response to challenges.” High levels of stress and chronic stress can interfere with students ability to learn and get good grades. It interferes with students' grades because they can get short-term stress which doesn’t allow them to think properly.
According to Health Psychology Open, stress in most students affects them physically, socially, and emotionally. The feeling of being physically stressed can be triggered by symptoms such as low energy, headaches, upset stomach, etc. Social stress symptoms are a fast heartbeat, upset stomach, breathing problems, etc. Some symptoms of emotional stress are depression, anxiety, agitation, anger, etc.
I struggled with academic stress in the beginning of this school year. I didn’t do my homework, I wouldn’t pay attention in class, or study for a test. I would get lazy and always procrastinate on my homework. Once I would get home, I would start playing video games.
Currently, I am changing that. I decided to start changing my habits because I didn’t want to be one of those kids that fail their classes and don’t get to graduate. So, I started getting good grades in my classes by doing my homework once I get home, then playing video games after I have finished. I also have been getting help from some of my friends and family members.
In a survey of 20 YBHS students, I asked two questions. The first question being, "How often do you stress out on homework?" 14 of the 20 students said they stress out very often on homework and the other 6 said not often. The second question asking, "Do you have bad grades? 10 out of 20 students said they do have bad grades and the other 10 said somewhat.
Overcoming stress is hard, but according to HuffPost.com, taking time for self-care, learning to change your thinking, taking assignments one step at a time, lowering your goals, and staying balanced during exam periods will help students overcome their academic stress.
Carlos Alfaro, a 9th grader at Yerba Buena High School said, “High school is harder than I expected.” It’s harder for him because in middle school most of his classes were easy and now they have gotten harder due to excessive amount of homework.
Alfaro’s grades are not looking too good. Carlos has an F in math and biology. He took Math 1 over the summer, and now that he is in Math 2, it is harder for him. Those 2 F’s are stressing him out because he doesn’t want to get in trouble. He said, “I need to start working harder in class and I need to start doing my homework.”
Livingstrong.com states, “Stress is the body’s natural response to challenges.” High levels of stress and chronic stress can interfere with students ability to learn and get good grades. It interferes with students' grades because they can get short-term stress which doesn’t allow them to think properly.
According to Health Psychology Open, stress in most students affects them physically, socially, and emotionally. The feeling of being physically stressed can be triggered by symptoms such as low energy, headaches, upset stomach, etc. Social stress symptoms are a fast heartbeat, upset stomach, breathing problems, etc. Some symptoms of emotional stress are depression, anxiety, agitation, anger, etc.
I struggled with academic stress in the beginning of this school year. I didn’t do my homework, I wouldn’t pay attention in class, or study for a test. I would get lazy and always procrastinate on my homework. Once I would get home, I would start playing video games.
Currently, I am changing that. I decided to start changing my habits because I didn’t want to be one of those kids that fail their classes and don’t get to graduate. So, I started getting good grades in my classes by doing my homework once I get home, then playing video games after I have finished. I also have been getting help from some of my friends and family members.
In a survey of 20 YBHS students, I asked two questions. The first question being, "How often do you stress out on homework?" 14 of the 20 students said they stress out very often on homework and the other 6 said not often. The second question asking, "Do you have bad grades? 10 out of 20 students said they do have bad grades and the other 10 said somewhat.
Overcoming stress is hard, but according to HuffPost.com, taking time for self-care, learning to change your thinking, taking assignments one step at a time, lowering your goals, and staying balanced during exam periods will help students overcome their academic stress.