How to Help a Student Deal with Stress

There was a time when colleges required a good GPA for a student to be accepted, but things have changed since then and the requirements have become somewhat overwhelming. Today the average requirements are a good GPA, community volunteering, extracurricular activities, awards, honors, sports involvement and memberships in clubs and organizations, as well as other stipulations. The more a student has of these desired qualities the better their chances of getting into the college they want and getting the financial help they need. With all the demands on today’s student it’s no wonder they are feeling somewhat stressed and overwhelmed. Many of the schools are now checking into ways to help students deal with the anxieties of day-to-day school life by bringing in meditation exercises and other forms of relaxation. As a parent and a teacher, here are some ways you can help students deal with this mental stress.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Ability to communicate with teenagers
• Some knowledge of stress reducers

1. Talk to your student and find out if he is feeling stress due to regular homework assignments, sports, involvement in clubs and organizations and extracurricular activities. If he says he does feel somewhat anxious, discuss some possibilities for finding relief, even if it means eliminating some activities.
2. Remember you are the adult. If you feel she has taken on too much, step up and say so then do something about it. Don’t be surprised if she gives you an argument. After all, she has been told she is supposed to get involved from the time she entered school, and many times the issue is overrated.
3. Reassure him that it isn’t necessary to be involved in so many activities in order to achieve his goals. There are many ways to go to college and sometimes too many extracurricular activities can do more harm than good, especially to his grades. Sit down together and decide which is more important; good grades and his health or all those checked boxes on a college application.
4. There are many ways to reduce stress. Each student is different and finding the way that works best for her requires her help. Ask her what she enjoys doing, what gives her down time, what relaxes her, and make some suggestions. Sometimes she can find relaxation by something as simple as taking the time to watch a movie, going to a yoga class or seeing a play. There are some students who find relief in exercising, paintball or a neighborhood game of football. Playing sports for stress relief may surprise you, but please realize it isn’t necessarily the sport that’s giving her relief, it’s the exertion of pent-up frustration and the lack of pressure to win the game.
5. Encourage your student to do the logical stress reducers, such as keeping track of his homework in his student handbook, don’t procrastinate but plan ahead, eat breakfast as well as the other main meals, get enough sleep, spread out the weekend homework rather than trying to do it all in one day, vent verbally to someone who will listen, and try to maintain an optimistic point of view.

Tips & Warnings

• Some students tend to expect too much of themselves, adding to the stress she is already feeling. Reassure her that she doesn’t have to be perfect and it isn’t expected.
• Don’t be surprised if he gets upset when first approached about the subject of taking on too much and he tells you that you don’t understand. If this happens, ask him to talk to you about his anxieties so that you can understand and help him.