at school, whether they’re playing sports or
part of a church group. [They’re also dealing
with] different community issues and also
internal factors.”
Shrujal Joshi, performance psychologist
for the U.S. Army, says different situations,
such as being new to the school or a club,
could exacerbate the stress.
“When you talk about an environment,
it’s usually the unfamiliarity, that notion
of being uncomfortable,” Joshi says. “And
probably one of the bigger ones that I’ve
seen is being afraid of fitting in.”
STRESS LEVELS
A survey of 168 DMHS students and their
stress levels revealed results that surprised
these experts:
Experiencing stress
D
3.57 percent reported “no stress”
D
18.45 percent reported “little stress”
D
35.71 percent reported “moderate
stress”
D
32.74 percent reported “high stress”
D
9.52 percent reported “severe stress”
educate
J
S.A.T. (Student Awareness Tools
®
)
maskmatters.org
SPRING 2018
54
R
eturning from an exhausting day
at school on Friday afternoon,
you can’t help but think about
the grueling hours that will
be spent on homework this
weekend: writing a college admissions
essay, working on an AP psychology
project, cramming for a math test (a class
in which you are on the verge of failing).
Where do you even begin?
On top of that, the realization strikes
that you’re also working 12 hours this
weekend. So much for attending your
best friend’s birthday party. So much for
spending quality time with your family.
But you’re not done yet. You have
an orchestra recital, remember? An
opportunity for a college scholarship is
riding on this one performance.
What about exercise? Oh, I’ll just go to
the gym next weekend, you repeat for the
third week in a row. As the weeks turn
into months, your physical and mental
health begin to deteriorate. You can feel
the internal stress-o-meter in your head
about to burst.
“I’m stressed even when I’m not
stressed,” says Aira Sadiasa, a senior at
Desert Mountain High School (DMHS).
Tasked with balancing music, school,
work, social life, and college preparations,
she says she’s feeling overwhelmed.
STRESS FACTORS
High school students of all ages
experience stress due to many factors in
schools and at home. Because this stress
can be present all year round, counter
measures need to be taken to alleviate it.
It’s no secret that teens today are taking
on far more responsibility than in previous
generations. As the desire for uniqueness
increases, students’ stress levels multiply.
Before attempting to alleviate stress,
examining its causes is imperative.
Purvi Parikh, school psychologist at
Desert Mountain High School, says
biological, cognitive and family
factors can contribute to a teen’s
stress.
“There are things going on in
their family life and their environment
STRESSED
OUT!
STRESS
,
PRESSURE
AND
ANXIETY
AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
J
By // Esther Gold
