Back in August, one of my best friends and I made a pact that no matter how much homework we were assigned or how long our extracurriculars took, we wouldn’t stay up past 1 a.m.
How naïve of us.
Now it’s October, and I have consistently broken that promise. It seems that at 1 a.m., I always have one more assignment to complete, and when it comes down to sleep or homework, I always go with the homework.
At first, my parents stayed up with me to show their support. That stopped after a few weeks. My habits have begun to break down: I don’t wear contacts everyday anymore, I eat meals in the car and by the time Friday night comes, I collapse and fall asleep. And partying? What’s that?
Of course, it’s very likely that I’m an extreme case. My classmates all respond to the everyday stress of school differently: Some always choose pillow over pencil, some break down and some, like me, chase those elusive grades late into the night.
And frankly, I don’t think any of these strategies is very good.
I’m sure that schools and parents apply this pressure with good intentions. I bet that by the time I graduate from high school, I’ll know a lot more about history and math, not to mention time management and prioritizing.
But right now, I’m just trying to get to next week.
And so are many other teens. Reuters Health reported that one-third of American teenagers feel major stress every day, and two-thirds are stressed at least once a week. Stress comes from all directions: the pressures to be smart, fit, social and perfect.
I’m not pleading for a reduction in stress; I realize that it’s a fierce world out there and that stress is simply unavoidable.
So why not teach teens a trick or two about stress management? I’m curious to know how adults (other than my parents, who sit still and meditate for hours) deal with stress. What can I do so that I don’t burn out now and so I’ll be prepared for life, when I’ll have to worry about bosses and credit scores? Should I respond to school by using stress to push me to stay up, or should I develop another strategy?
Teens have pressures different from those of their parents. Instead of paying bills and putting food on the table, they have sports, grades and college applications. Instead of in-laws, they have teacher relationships and friendships. But both have to cope with increasing competition, ever-present deadlines and the pressure to do things the right way.
Scouring the Internet turned up a few stress-busting recommendations. One strategy is to think positively, breathe and meditate. Another is to seek support from family and friends. Anti-depressants are mentioned. Others turn to drugs, alcohol and even sex.
None of these options seem like real-life advice.
I think that if the younger generation knew how to relax, it would be ready for the challenges of the adult world.
Daily adult life is stressful. And I think that life before adulthood is stressful, too. If many of today’s teenage problems originate from or are related to anxiety and tension, wouldn’t it be smart to try to alleviate that stress?
Sounds like something I’d stay up all night to try to figure out.
Jennifer Luo (jluo09@kentdenver.org) of Denver is a junior at Kent Denver School.
