Balancing Mental Health With School

Introduction

That 11:59 deadline might have more emotions and stress associated with it than most people think. As the school year begins again in the fall, assignments start to pile up, and slowly overwhelm most students. So how can you ensure that you are balancing your academics while also looking out for your mental health?

Procrastination

Most, if not all students are very familiar with this word. Busy schedules and social lives lead to brushing off work that could have been done within a week of spread out work, but is now staring at your face the night before its due. If you think this situation has crawled up on you more than you’d like to admit, don't worry, because you’re definitely not the only one. In fact, over 85% of students procrastinate, according to the American Psychological Association (Novotney). 

Procrastination only brings on extra stress to students that they don’t need. Now, students get piled on with assignments from 6 or more classes, extracurriculars, jobs, sports, and more. It is common for teens to be held to high expectations, which can sometimes lead to an overload of stress.

But there are ways that you can learn to avoid this bad habit. Planning out exactly when you are going to finish each assignment and setting mini deadlines for yourself can ensure that you’re dedicating enough time to each task you must complete. This way, you won’t be stuck trying to cram and finish everything within the final hour. Spreading out long-term projects, so you get parts of it done little by little can help you keep yourself accountable to hit those small deadlines you make for yourself. 

Hobbies

A great stress reliever is keeping yourself busy during your free time with something that you enjoy. Hobbies such as painting, sewing, gardening, or journaling can help take your mind off of schoolwork, or anything else that might be adding to the stress. 

By providing yourself with a distraction you enjoy, you are giving your brain a chance to calm down, and an overall lower cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Consistently engaging in these activities can help promote long-term mindfulness and reduce depression or anxiety. 

Conclusion

In the end, being a student by itself can be stressful alone, and even more so as a teenager going through drastic changes both physically and mentally. It’s important to acknowledge these times of inevitable stress and recognize the different tools and methods we can use to help us during these situations. 

Inessa Macertoon

Diagnostic & Counseling Center, Inc.