Health: Students discover new ways to cope with stress

Many Peninsula students can probably recall a time of stress and anxiety due to school, sports and other activities. One study conducted by New York University in 2015 found that stress levels of high school students have increased rapidly in recent years and persist through college. Prolonged stress can lead to mental health problems, social issues and inability to succeed academically for students; excessive stress can also cause heart problems, high blood pressure and strokes due to abnormal heart rhythms.

Sophomore Natalie Wong experiences daily stress as she struggles to balance being Sophomore Class President, playing on a sports team, working a part-time job and maintaining high grades in challenging classes. Wong copes with her stress by finding time to relax and put her thoughts together.

“I found this Google Chrome [application] called Momentum that gives you a different screensaver everyday with an option to make a to-do list appear on your screen,” Wong said. “I always feel so much better when all my thoughts are visually organized in front of me instead of floating around in my head.”

Wong also copes with her stress by spending time with her friends and other classmates at school.

“When I am at home at night cramming for a test or trying to write a paper, sometimes I feel like I am the only one who is struggling,” Wong said. “It makes me feel less stressed when I come to school and see supportive people who are most likely going through the same thing I am.”

Although students from all grade levels are stressed, seniors are especially stressed during their first semester as they apply to colleges while also maintaining a difficult course load. They can also experience pressure in February and March when colleges send out acceptance letters.

“The [college application] process itself was pretty stressful and I worked on it for a good two months or so,” senior Sasha Sudo said. “However, I think getting enough sleep is much more important than having to stress over classes [and other obligations].”

Counselor Patricia Colin sees many students struggling with anxiety and pressure to succeed in school.

“It can be overwhelming to kids,” Colin said. “We see kids who end up missing school because they are feeling sick because they are so overwhelmed.”

Colin believes that the most important way for students to cope with their stress is through balancing their busy schedule with enough time for sleep, family and friends while also focusing on school and extracurriculars.

“We encourage [students] to eat well, exercise every day, sleep and keep up their other health factors,” Colin said. “We also encourage talking to people and seeking help from the school or a professional outside of school if [students] need it.”

In the upcoming school year, Peninsula plans to open a new wellness center, which will aim to lower the stress and anxiety levels of students. The school hopes to have a full-time counselor at the center to whom students can go for help, support and education about mental health. There will also be various health programs and guest speakers. Colin hopes that the wellness center will assist Peninsula students in learning to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“The hope is to help lower the stress levels and improve the mental health of the students,” Colin said.