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School Life

How Stress can be Alleviated through School
By Sindhu Ravuri

I could sense the creeping tension within the classroom, so palpable that my arm cringed from its touch. Not a single sound escaped anyone's lips. The only noises my ears could perceive were the fast-paced, uneven breaths of my peers. Their frantic eyes screamed anxiety. Amidst this sea of chaotic apprehension, was I. My heart was beating so heavily that I could feel its thudding against the frame of my fragile chest. What was the reason behind such immense unease? A test. For some students, this single test was a last chance to salvage repute; for others, it was a matter of earning one more A+ to adorn gleaming transcripts. As an emphasis on acceptance into elite colleges is rapidly growing, anxiety and pressure like this is becoming an unavoidable element in students' daily dealings. Ultimately, this desire to constantly uphold expectations can lead to detrimental ramifications such as diminished self-esteem, self-harm or a jarring lack of satisfaction. However, there is a potential remedy to this academic plague. Due to the immense strain educational pressure wields over teenage lives, a recreational period filled with spiritually uplifting and enriching activities should be offered at our school; this course would ultimately enable students to transcend severe pressures, create a strengthened outlook on positivity, and, most importantly, remain healthy.

From stringent societal standards to limiting parental views, constant pressure to succeed can enter into high school students' mentalities through several gateways, crippling them intellectually, physically, and psychologically in the process. Nowadays, the primary academic focus lies on Advanced Placement and SAT exam scores rather than on the essential goal of education – to thrive intellectually. As a result, young students refuse to delve into the creative exploration of knowledge, but rather choose to blindly memorize facts and material with the sole purpose of garnering a five or 2400. This in turn causes teenagers not only to passionately abhor all educational environments, thus causing them to perform worse on their assessments, but also to lose self-esteem, as they begin to believe that anything below their goal is unacceptable. Unfortunately, this is the same destructive pattern that is enforced by familial tension. Despite having sincere intentions, parents often become excessively engrossed in the glory of achievement, and, in the process, are impervious to the heavy toll their ambitious aspirations may have on their child's youth. Moreover, the constant mental struggle to preserve standards elicits harmful physiological responses from the child. According to the documentary by Vicki Abeles and Jessica Congdon, "Race to Nowhere," teenagers force themselves to develop insomnia in order to have an extra eight hours to complete homework. When stress levels within their brains surpass the tolerable limit, knuckles begin to swell, and aggression steadily builds. More importantly, however, the ponderous burden and weight of pressure has driven students to take their own lives. Is it worth childhoods being lost for the sake of a "better" degree? What can we do to eradicate this epidemic?

And this is where my proposition comes in: I vehemently assert that an additional period fundamentally dedicated to instilling soothing yet effective methods of self-expression be provided for the student body. This course would consist a plethora of recreational and enterprising activities from which participants can choose. For instance, professional instructors would teach yoga, which is clinically designed to release tension, instill improved decision-making skills, and create intimacy with the inner spirit. Moreover, yoga showcases how to truly respect the body rather than damage it, a lesson that can rapidly prevent additional self-harm inflicted by teenagers tormented by constant academic worries. The relaxation of the nervous system gained from this practice also augments alertness and concentration significantly, therefore permitting teenagers to concentrate and conquer any daunting task. Secondly, extensive journal writing sessions and interactive forums will be another facet of the course, mainly aimed at unfettering the inner conflicts and struggles instigated by burdensome pressures. The former illustrates a method in which students can articulate their deepest inhibitions without any constraints. Once their emotions have flooded onto the page rather than inundating their fatigued minds, the weight of stress will gradually be lifted from their shoulders. Similarly, interactive forums where classmates enduring like forms of anxiety will rapidly decrease distress, not only because students will be able to convey their emotions, but also because they will find comfort in knowing their peers are undergoing the same experiences. Now, some of you may still prefer utilizing any ounce of free time as an opportunity to indulge yourselves in yet another challenging Advanced Placement course, as you might earn a nod of approval from college admissions officers. However,I implore you to consider, is striving for that one extra five in a class that may not genuinely interest you worth marring an entire year of high school with sleepless nights, consistent regret, and unnecessary pressure? Forcing yourself to battle through extra homework, tests, and assignments, in addition to several other extracurricular activities, will inevitably set off the pressure cooker that is your exhausted brain. Lastly, the recreational period will count as an elective. Therefore, this recreational period will not interfere with your inspired goals as a thriving high school student (as education must remain a chief component of students' lives), and simultaneously will calm down any stress.

The amount of students who commit suicide due to stress has tripled in the last fifty years, according to the American College Health Association. Academic pressure is driving them to immeasurable and unforeseeable extents. It is our duty to relieve their stress, and help them heal, make better decisions, and live enjoyable lifestyles devoid of interminable worry. By providing a recreational period comprised of a variety of soothing exercises that positively impact the mind and body, we can minimize and, eventually, eradicate the unbearable stress in high school students' lives. Even though academics is an important part of our inner development, the overwhelming stress it can put on our shoulders should not dampen our spirits to such an extent that we become helpless.

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