Dealing with stress at school

Students at RCMS say that they are stressed and losing sleep in school due to homework and projects, and they deal with it by doing what they love.

“I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. because I forgot to study for a test,” said Vikas Nanduri, a seventh-grader at RCMS. “It was really stressful and I felt pressured to do the best I could.”

To feel better after stressful times, many students express their feelings instead of bottling them up inside. This is because bottling up feelings will actually create a more stressful and anxious environment within the brain. 

“I think that everyone should take a break once in a while and do what they love,” Vikas said. “People should go outside more, read more, watch some funny YouTube videos. School is not the only important thing in life. Students shouldn’t feel as stressed as they do now.”

It is very common for students to misunderstand topics in class and outside of class. The best way to cope with this confusion to to ask parents or teachers for one on one help during and outside of school.    

“Whenever I feel stressed, I ask for help, especially from friends and classmates,” Vikas said. “They are really helpful and get me through some busy times.”

Another way that students can conquer school work is to divide it down into smaller portions. This is because dividing it into small portions in a longer period of time will create less stress and make it seem like there is less to do. Students should never try to finish everything in one day. 

“I like to read to relieve stress because it takes me out of my stress bubble and I arrive into another world,” said Alyssa Zhang, a seventh-grader in Champions.

A lot of the times, students overwork themselves. Overworking isn’t something that students should do, especially middle school students because this will create even less time to have fun and stay out of the phase of stress. Although a little extra credit might be good at times, lowering standards just a little won’t hurt.

“I basically try to do something that I like,” Vikas said. “I enjoy reading because it takes me away from all my stress and the reality that I live in for however long that I like.”

Many students aim for perfection, but that is impossible, which means that these students are held down by the pressure of staying “perfect.” Other students, however, have more time to have fun and relax because they don’t worry about getting one or two points of a test or assignment. In their eyes, there is no real difference between a 93 and a 100 percent average.

Alyssa said, “Being perfect is impossible, I’ve learned that a long time ago. But just because perfect is impossible, doesn’t mean you should slack off in school either. Don’t procrastinate before tests because then you will do better on the test.”

Students should always stay balanced in their studies. No one has a brain that can function for 24 hours straight. It is always important to take small breaks between activities. When studying for important exams, it is important to study hard, but it is even more important to rest.

Alyssa said, “I always need to balance all the work that I have to make sure nothing tilts!”

When the brain doesn’t get the rest it gets, it won’t be able to study properly. Students can take around 15 minutes a day to work on what they love to do just to relieve stress.                                                    

“Well, one of the things I enjoy about my class is the fact that balancing out my work gives me time to take a break,” said an anonymous Fairfax County student.

Professional psychologists suggest a balanced life should be the goal for all families. If a child is having trouble getting work from school done, parents can step up and help plan the week, deciding what is actually important and what is optional. Time management will help reduce school stress.

The anonymous Fairfax student said, “Ice cream … it just really helps.”