Too Much Stress

Too much stress can be harmful to our physical and mental health. Today, it is just as much a problem in teenagers as it is in adults, and it may even be more of a problem. Students are now taking on so much in their daily schedules, it is more harmful than helpful, leading to an agonizing amount of stress.
It is proven that stress leads to depression, thoughts of suicide and increased anxiety. This is a growing problem all around the world. From experience, I have noticed the curriculum in schools getting pushed down a little more every year. My younger sister is three grades below mine. She is learning things in eighth grade that I did not learn until I was a freshman in high school. That may only be a one year difference in the curriculum, and in high school and even middle school that may not matter. However, in elementary school it is too much for students. My mom is a kindergarten teacher and she sees this first hand. Their students enter kindergarten, many times without knowing any of their letters yet are expected to know how to read by the time they leave. Just this change in curriculum itself can lead to increased levels of anxiety and poor mental health. When kids are young, they should be playing and acquiring basic learning skills. Now, they have hardly any time for play in a kindergarten classroom, which I believe is worse in terms of their development and it leads them to be more stressed out at a younger age.
Another problem is the physical consequences of stress, including increased blood pressure and believe it or not, ware on your body. Teens have multiple extra-curricular activities and are still pressured to do well in difficult classes at school. A lot of teen stress also comes from all of the testing done in schools. I cannot go a day without a test or quiz in at least one of my classes. This means that every night I have a new quiz, test or presentation to study for and stress about, and often more than one. I am involved in sports that practice every day. I also have homework from all my other classes. It is not sustainable and I know that I am not the only student athlete that feels overwhelmed by all of the pressure put on us to succeed. Our bodies are tired and some nights I am ready to go to bed by seven. When I am stressed out I have trouble focusing in class and I often feel out of control, which leads to high blood pressure. High school sometimes seems like too much.
Overall, I believe that students are exposed to too much stress. We are busy and it may seem that we didn't study for a test because we blew it off, but it may just be because we are busy and exhausted. Stress is found controlling my life and it is hard. Teachers and parents need to realize the stress that comes along with the pressure to do well, all of the hours of homework assigned every night, and with multiple tests throughout each week. Even if each teacher could reduce their amount of homework by 10 minutes each night, that would be one hour less every night and 5-6 hours less every week. That would be so incredibly helpful and a large stress reliever.