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Blog post #1 – How does stress affect high school students, and what coping mechanisms are effective?

Hello everybody,

As I was stressing over what question I wanted to answer for this inquiry, it finally hit me. I have been stressing over one of many assignments I had due and could not plan my day effectively. Personally, I believe although it is hard to admit,  trying to be “perfect” is stressful.

I selected the inquiry question “How does stress affect high school students, and what coping mechanisms are effective?” because it holds personal significance to me. As a high school student in my final year, I have directly encountered the pressures and anxieties that come with academic expectations, extracurricular commitments, and social challenges. This question is relatable because I’ve witnessed how stress can impact not only academic performance but also mental and emotional well-being in my own life and the lives of my friends and classmates. Exploring effective coping strategies is of interest to me because I believe it can offer practical solutions to a problem we all face. Throughout my research, I will be investigating the effect the role of family support, parenting styles, and the home environment in helping students manage stress. And how technology and social media use affect stress levels, including concerns about cyberbullying, screen time, and social comparison. As well I will explore a range of coping mechanisms, including healthy strategies like mindfulness, exercise and time management. I  hope to uncover valuable insights and tools to help both myself and others better navigate the stresses of high school life.

Thank yo all for reading my blog post. 🙂

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8 Comments

  1. Hi!

    I think this is such a great topic for an inquiry project. I did a similar question last year and it was so eye opening for me. I really learned a lot about school’s impact on mental health and about ways to cope with it. Are there any coping mechanisms you’ve found so far that are effective in reducing this stress?

    Here’s an article that might be of interest to you: https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/managing-stress-in-high-school/#:~:text=“Some%20of%20the%20common%20triggers,Lab%20for%20Youth%20Mental%20Health.

    Good luck with your future posts!
    Aniela

  2. Hi Jolie!
    I love your topic so much! specifically I love how down to earth you make this topic, although a lot of schools and our own teachers try and signify a “no-stress” environment and give us tips and tricks to battling school related stress, it feels more counterproductive then productive!
    I am so glad that you are doing a topic like this as it is refreshing and even more accurate having such emotions and feelings expressed by someone who truly gets it; a high school student.

    In addition, I find it so interesting that you have decided to approach this topic from both a familial support side of things, to the technological advancements which add to this issue. To help you more with this side of your research here are some links which dig deep into not only the affects which technology and your family has on you in school, but also the positive affects they can install in you!

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9243415/

    https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-dangers-of-putting-too-much-pressure-on-kids-1094823

    https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/features/school-stress-anxiety-children

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7827099/

    I hope they help! and I can’t wait to follow the rest of your research,
    Sanam M.

  3. Hi Jolie!
    I relate with your topic SO MUCH, because as a grade 12 student as well, all I can stress about is either assignments or what I need to do in the future, such as what school I need to apply too, or if I want to go to post-secondary, and all of these cause me to stress out and not be very productive for the rest of the day, so I will definitely be following your post closely as it is very relatable and I need tips on how to balance out my stress from school work in order to make the most of the time and resources I have!

    One thing I always wonder is if high-school is this stress inducing, is it going to get better?, and thought this is a very generic question I feel like this is the second thought that comes to all senior students, so if you’d like I found a link that talks about this exact struggle if you wanted to use it for your next research post!!

    https://students.ubc.ca/ubclife/learning-university-vs-high-school#:~:text=Sure%2C%20you%20might%20have%20bigger,is%20the%20beauty%20of%20university.

    Good luck on your future posts!! :))

  4. Hey Jolie!! Your blog post was the first I saw and I wanted to read it as soon as I saw your inquiry question.
    I think that this is so relatable for everyone, especially as a grade 12, we are all feeling the stress and anxieties of it. I think it’s really interesting how you wanted to focus a lot of your research towards family role and the effects of your home environment. I can see that you will be using that aspect as a way of helping students manage their stress through the support and love from their family. What popped into my mind though, was how that idea of familial support can also be turned on you in a way where instead of relieving stress, it can increase it. This link can be helpful in allowing you to see this perspective if you would like!

    https://www.choosingtherapy.com/family-stress/#:~:text=Family%20stressors%20may%20vary%20across,they%20cause%20in%20normal%20functioning.

    You could also dig deeper into your question about how does stress affect high school students. While it may seem a little broad, specifying it into certain areas or scenarios such as how stress affects high school students in terms of their mental, physical and emotional health could help the comprehension of your inquiry. Moreover, I’ve wondered “why IS it difficult to manage stress?” I hope this thought may help you as you go on in your research if you looked into the root cause of stress.

    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855#:~:text=Developing%20coping%20strategies%20before%20stress,stress%20should%20seek%20medical%20assistance.

    As for the coping mechanisms, it would be great if you could also include the ones that maybe aren’t so common such as mediation or exercise (not saying they aren’t helpful) but including other suggestions besides the ones that we hear at school would very cool! Everyone deals with stress differently and I can’t wait to hear what you decide to share!
    -Vea

  5. hi jolie,
    your post caught my eye, as a grade nine it is hard finding ways to cope with the new more demanding workload of high school. which can be stress inducing, as someone with ADHD I personally have always struggled with time management and procrastination with usually causes me to be quite stressed by the time something is due. wich is one of the reasons I look forward to reading all your future posts. here are some links that I hope you find helpful.

    https://kansas.kvc.org/2020/11/10/how-does-academic-stress-affect-mental-health-in-the-age-of-digital-learning/#:~:text=Relationship%20between%20academic%20stress%20and%20mental%20health&text=Research%20shows%20that%20academic%20stress,to%20do%20poorly%20in%20school.

    https://www.oxfordlearning.com/causes-of-school-stress/

    best of luck with your research
    -savannah

  6. Hi Jolie,
    I find your topic really interesting and I think it needs to be talked more. As a student it can be hard sometimes stress especially at this time when we are getting more and more assignments. I can’t wait to read your future blog post!
    If you find one, what is the best way to regulate stress?

    I have found this website that I hope can be helpful

    https://steadfastcounselling.com/individual-counselling/anxiety-counselling/?gclid=CjwKCAjwysipBhBXEiwApJOcuwo0fbtx1gm4lVQBe2jLqWVBI0-tCAPE9UtSYFxPGubxffmnx-rBJBoCdnYQAvD_BwE

    Best of luck
    – Dara

  7. Hello Jolie,

    Your blog post is extremely on point for what high school students experience. This article on the four main types of parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative (most effective), permissive, and uninvolved) which might be helpful to you.

    https://www.verywellmind.com/parenting-styles-2795072

    I am admittedly curious about how you will tailor your posts to your inquiry questions. I think one way would be addressing common stress inducers for high schoolers, since experiences are different in all life stages.

    It would be really interesting if, for coping mechanisms, you ranked them in terms of effectiveness for you and include some very different ones because everyone copes differently,.

    I look forward to seeing your future research, I believe it will help a lot of high school students.

    ~Amy

  8. Hi Jolie,

    As I was looking through all the posts, your question caught my eye right away. I am super interested in your topic, as I feel that it is a relevant question for almost every person on the Butterfly Effect website. Personally, I feel overwhelmed and stressed from high school a lot because I am a student athlete and I sometimes have problems with time management. I’m super excited to read your posts because I feel that they will be very helpful for me and interesting to read. A question that I have is are you going to inquire with any real high school students to try and get live input on your question? Here are some links to websites that I found that might help with your research.

    https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/stress.html
    https://www.apa.org/topics/children/stress

    I love your question and keep up the great work!
    Penelope

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