Episode 3: Stress in High School Students

Meg:

In our August episode, Eshaan and I sat down with Anika Bush to talk about stress in high school students! Being in high school myself, I found this episode to be extremely interesting. I think when it comes to balance, that is something I can definitely improve on. Talking to Anika really made me see that balance is key. It is so important to do well in school, but mental health and taking care of yourself is just as important, if not more. I learned that everyone deals with stress, but the way we cope with it can really make all the difference. Talking to Anika made me realize that it is important to just take some time for myself everyday, even if it is only five minutes. I think balancing school with extracurriculars and other activities is difficult, but having a support system is one of the many ways to cope. Being able to turn to someone to express how you feel is super important. My biggest takeaway from this episode is definitely the art of balance when it comes to a managing hectic schedule.

Eshaan:

This episode was super informative to us, teens. I found the statistics given by Meg in the beginning of the video to be shocking. Many teens currently have a much higher stress level compared to the normal. I thought that this would just be during the school year because of the stress that school can sometimes cause; however, this is something that continues throughout the summer. Although the stress levels reported in teens are lower than what they are in the school year, the levels are still higher than the normal. This is something that I can relate too, as I get stressed out thinking about the new school year. There is also evidence that most teenagers feel pressure to excel in academics and this is something that I see happen to many of my peers in school as they feel pressure from themselves or even their parents to do well. I found the advice given by Anika Bush, a graduate of the Morristown-Beard School and rising freshman at Princeton, to be very helpful. She discussed how important it is to have a balance between academics and extracurriculars. She also discussed how she had a support system as well. Listening to her talk about this made me realize how easy it can be to de stress with meditation or something that makes you calm. Overall, I will be taking what Anika said and putting it into daily practice in order to be less stressed.