By Naomi Viesca, Guest Writer
Kenosha high school students in the 2018-2019 school year are stressed due to many activities going on in their life such as school, work, and extracurricular activities.
“It’s really hard to balance everything out,” said Yessica Banda, an Indian Trail High School & Academy junior.
Banda works four days a week and doesn’t get home usually until 10:30 p.m. Then she has to do homework. She also has to go to National Honors Society and K-pop Club once a week.
“What stresses me out the most is the workload,” said Stephany Mandujano, a Business Academy junior.
She likes to be prepared for a test or quiz, but if she can’t study because she doesn’t have time, then she feels she is unprepared. This is also why she isn’t involved in any school activities other than NHS.
In high school, many students worry about their GPA because it usually determines what college they will get into.
“I set a high standard for myself. I constantly worry about my GPA,” said Jimena Salazar, a Tremper High School junior.
Many high schoolers have a high standard for themselves or strict parents that expect them to do well but don’t realize all the things they have to do.
“My parents always yell at me because I don’t clean my room or I’m always in my room and I have to tell them I’m doing homework,” said Banda.
She has homework that takes about five hours to do because she has an Advanced Placement class which is a lot of work. She then has six other classes she has to worry about.
On the other hand, some parents understand the workload.
“My parents are pretty lenient with chores and other things because they know how busy I am every week and how it’s hard for me to keep calm and not overwhelm myself,” said Salazar.
Numerous studies suggest stress among high school students is on the rise.
“They feel that it is necessary to get the highest grades, the best scores, in order to get into good colleges and get good jobs,” said Mandujano.
“There is more stress on high school students, especially juniors, because you’re barely 16 and you are starting to get a job, learning how to drive and having to learn how to balance all of these things,” said Banda.
Junior year is the year of the state ACT which determines scholarships and college, and that is another reason she believes high school students are stressed.
High schoolers are suppose to get up to eight hours of sleep, but that doesn’t happen to most teens.
“I usually get four to three hours of sleep, but on weekends five cause I get up early to go to work,” said Banda.
“Usually I get between six or seven hours of sleep a night,” said Mandujano.
Stress is not good for high school students because it can cause depression and increase anxiety, so it’s important for students to find healthy ways to release stress.
“I don’t do anything to relieve stress other than listen to music,” said Banda. “We should have more work time in class to do homework so if we have any questions we can ask the teacher for help.”
“I take a break and wander around the house, read or go play with my dog for a while,’ said Mandujano.
Also, talking to a trusted someone about worries to get reassurance and advice can help, as well as going out with friends or family to places in order to forget about some of the stressful things, she added.