Stress at school

haltonyouthpfaproj
Nov 20, 2021
3 min read

By: Camila Henao

Going back to school is a process many of us struggle with. Whether it's in a small or big way, school is bound to bring some stress with it. There’s many situations you’ll be faced with during your school experience, and it’s extremely helpful to know ways to deal with them when you’re feeling overwhelmed. We’ll be going through some situations today, as well as ways to help navigate through them.

Unstructured Time:

Things like lunch breaks, time between classes, or the time before school starts can leave you wondering where to go, or how to make yourself useful. Especially during COVID times where we may not be able to see our friends, because of different schedules or cohorts/precaution divisions. Creating a routine for yourself helps with this issue. Get to school, head to your locker, go to the washroom, go to the library, for example. Visualizing your routine and your day beforehand helps in those moments where you’re left wondering around, not sure where to head next.

Organization Skills:

It is extremely important to work on your organization skills during high school, these are key to a good and productive life. If you’re taking a class which you know will be more demanding than any other, prepare and bring a notebook, a binder, or whichever note-taking device you choose. Even if sometimes you think you won’t need it, or you think you’ll remember it just fine without them. This way you’ll have something to go back to when studying or doing homework. A tip for keeping your binders and notebooks organized: whenever you get handouts or loose papers, put them in immediately (for some this may be obvious, but sometimes saying you’ll do it later ends up in a lost paper.) Be careful where you put your materials, and don't let them get wrinkly or dirty.

Participating in Class:

Some teachers grade you for this, some don’t. Regardless, participating in class can be stressful. Especially if it is a class you’re struggling in. If you’re worried about getting called to answer a question you don’t know the answer to, a good tip is to answer everything you DO know. Even if it seems nerve-racking: Small questions, simple questions, anything as long as you’re actively participating. In this way when teachers ask the tougher questions, you’ll be less likely to be called upon. Eventually you’ll end up understanding more and getting more comfortable with answering questions and participating in class. Always participate when you feel you’ll be able to answer.

Changing Routine:

Not having a steady, reliable schedule year-round can be a stress source for many students. There’s many factors to this: worrying about finding your next classes, not knowing who you’ll be with, (if your friends may move onto different classes than yours) or even things like seating arrangements, class expectations, or a teacher you may not love. This new changing routine can be hard on many students, since you feel you never set roots, or have something lasting to fall back on. Talking to your peers about your classes, and getting them to talk to their friends is a good way of connecting with more people at your school and potentially finding someone you could spend your next classes with. Looking into your school’s website and learning more about your next class can help you be more prepared. At the end of the day, always being present and not worrying about the future is what is important, so if you find yourself worrying about your next classes, simply bring yourself back to this present moment.