by Bailey Schildberg

Coming to the end of the semester, most high school students feel some sort of stress, whether it has to do with homework, semester tests, or even sports.

What is stress? It is the body’s reaction to something challenging. Stress can be caused by either good or bad things. Getting into a fight with a friend is stressful, but so is the contemplating after something exciting happens, according to The Teen Years Explained.

Senior Taylor Berns said her stress level at this time of the year is at about a seven, on a one to ten scale. Berns is currently stressing over trying to find time between her homework, job, being social, and relaxing. Berns’s stress in school is preparing for her semester tests and knowing that applications for college scholarships are going to be opening up. With Christmas break approaching, she is excited about not having to worry about anything for awhile, and being even closer to graduation.

According to the American Psychology Association, students feel more stressed out than adults, with school being the main cause. The “Stress in America” survey was taken by 1,084 teenagers. Of those 1,084 teens, 83 percent said that school was “somewhat of a significant source of stress” 40 percent of these teenagers reported being angry or feeling irritable during this time of the year. Signs that an adolescent is in stress is constant complaints of a headache, stomachache, muscle pain, tiredness, anxiety, nervousness, difficulty concentrating, and changes in sleeping and eating habit, according to The Teen Years Explained.

As stated by the Huffington Post, the healthy stress level of teens should be a 3.9 out of 10. Teens report of having a stress level of around 5.0 out of 10, which “far exceeds” the healthy level. Last year, the American Psychology Association said that the millennials, ages 18-33, was the country’s most stressed generation. According to Huffington Post, the title now belongs to the American teenagers.

The average teenager spends an average of 7.5 hours on media per day. Most teens aren’t sleeping enough, either. The CDC recommends that the average teenager gets 9-10 hours on a school night. Most are getting around 7.5 hours, which is far less, the APA survey found.

Freshman Ben Renaud is taking his first semester test next week and he is “very stressed out.” He said, “I am overwhelmed with homework and studying for semester tests.” Renaud thinks that teachers could help by giving more of a “heads up” about what would be on the tests and more time to work on their assignments. Being in basketball, Renaud does not think that it adds more pressure, it’s more of a break. He is also excited for winter break because he gets to “hang out with friends and not have school to worry about.”

There are many ways to manage stress that many do not know about. Setting small goals and breaking tasks into smaller and more manageable chunks, getting proper sleep, exercising and eating regularly, focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you cannot, and scheduling breaks and enjoying them are some of the ways.  If you are stressed out, consider one of these suggestions.