Homework, tests, projects, meetings with teachers or tutors, after school jobs or sports and college applications. For students, an assignment planner quickly turns from invaluable to dismaying.
When the stress becomes overwhelming, many students recommend hitting pause on school to unwind at home and take a mental health day.
According to a University of California Berkeley blog, a study shows 70 percent of students admit to being often or always stressed by school.
It’s no surprise, perhaps, that some students choose to take days off.
Staples Intro to Psychology teacher Carol Avery said, “Sometimes, it’s worse to be mentally tired than physically tired. I can see why people take [days off].”
Everyone has different ways of crushing stress.
“Last time I took one, I slept in, spent a good portion of the day watching TV and then worked on my homework that I had to do,” an anonymous student said.
Luis Cruz ’15 said he sometimes needs a serious break. “I go for a quick run (3-7 miles) and watch funny YouTube videos on the internet late at night.”
But sometimes, students said, missing school to recover from stress end up creating more stress. And in fact, plenty of students are firm believers in working through stressful times.
“[I’m] more stressed after missing school because it’s a lot easier to be caught up with the work then have to make up 2 days worth of work,” Liv Smith ’16 said.
Smith is not alone in her opinion. Especially in fast-paced classes, catching up after even just one day can be difficult.
Amy Liu ’15 has many alternatives to dealing with stress so that make-up work is never an issue.
“I really like to nap. So if I come home from school and I’m really stressed, I’ll take a nap first so when I wake up, I feel rejuvenated and I can focus better,” she said.
