Stress is an inevitable part of a high schooler’s life. Freshman year and onward finds students burdened by the demands of academics, social relationships, familial obligations, and countless other things. We struggle with having to get up early, attend school, nourish ourselves, and complete assignments within a limited timeframe. All the while, we grapple with the added weight of external expectations, parental influence, and the internal battle against our own insecurities. Amidst this struggle, we, as individuals aged 13 to 18, strive to pass each day.

After surveying a mixture of students, the range of stressors was found to be endless.  Stressors come in various forms, ranging from simple tasks like schoolwork to nerve-wracking situations such as talking to someone we admire. On average, Cavelero students experience a stress level of 7 to 10 per week. Interviewees state many reasons why teens have such high stress levels. Mrs. Faheem claims that she believes, “The technology connection from the world and the adults in teens’ lives who support it is the main reason why teens have such a high stress level.” She feels that teens are too attached to technology in today’s world and have forgotten how to function without it, bringing large amounts of stress in situations where technology is not always available for use. 

Many students at Cavelero are feeling the stress and pressure of school. After interviewing many students, and asking what stresses them out the most, the unanimous answer was school. The specifics of what exactly it was about school that stressed them out had a wide ranger of factors, from having to deal with their classmates to the drama of simply waking up in the morning. A regular workload for a student is around four to five assignments, and depending on who you are and what class it is, it can take up to hours. 9th-grade soccer player Drew Chelin says, “School is too hard on teens.” Many teens strongly believe that school is too hard, giving too much work and not providing the right resources to help solve those problems.. Many other students agreed that stress was caused by mental issues and the lack of resources to deal with them. Students come to school with mental issues, and while our school counselors do an incredible job, they simply do not have the resources to fully resolve every issue that is brought to their attention.

There’s also the fact that the social life of students can sometimes be a huge cause for stress. Associate principal Raphil Hasegawa says,” The transition of becoming a teen and having to leave your childhood behind has an effect on the stress of teens.” The transition is affecting teens because of the new lives that they have to take on and the new people who they are forced to meet, plus the ones they are supposed to leave behind. If students don’t choose the right friend group then their whole life could go downhill from 8th or 9th grade. Peer pressure could simply have such a high impact on a young adult, who is just now transitioning and trying to place their feet on solid ground and find their place in the world. The social pressure and expectations that this world has placed on young adults have not been exaggerated. 

Cavelero Principal Jimmy Sellers says,” Teens are affected by the expectation they have……” The  expectations placed on teens in our society are ridiculous. There are such high standards that teens are trying to reach from their peers, parents, and the most judgmental critics, themselves. The expectations range from simply someone’s clothing and grades to their weight and the way they look. The weight of this unreachable expectation can lead teens to adopting harmful habits, such as starving themselves, changing the way they act, and developing depression. Students feel these high expectations now from choosing the wrong friend groups to hang out with. Choosing the wrong friends can lead to peer pressure and doing things you’re not comfortable with, feeling the need to be cool. Teens have high expectations from parents because parents want “the best for their child”. By saying they want the best they block out everything their child wants and needs, mentally and physically because it’s not what they think their child needs. In today’s society, it is almost natural for every teen to have high and unreachable expectations for themselves. Expectations given by ourselves normally come from social media and the things we see online. Nowadays females photoshop their bodies on magazine covers and are told that they are overweight, and blonde is better. Guys are forced to hear other girls go on live and rant about them and post your guy’s private conversations just to claim clout to be cool.

We need to be aware of the stress we are going through and let the people in our lives know how to help us. It’s okay if the things you are stressing over can be personal, everything can vary from person to person.