As we reach the end of the school year, so does our anxiety levels!
This week kicked off AP season! YAY! I know right: dreadful. On top of AP tests, many students have to worry about other projects and finals.
Instead of stressing about this last stretch of school, let’s instead take it one day at a time and find things to distract us from school.
I recently took two AP tests in a span of two days. On top of this I am working on my end-of-the-year higher-level essay (I am also writing this article right now). Many students like myself have these same levels of stress. We are pressured by many factors to perform on these tests, like parents, self-fulfillment, etc. However, these tests do not define who we are as students. We are all intelligent in our unique ways, and these tests do not truly serve as a reflection of our intellectual capabilities. As much as we can “cancel” many things in society, we (sadly) cannot “cancel” the College Board. But, we can learn how to tackle these tests while also keeping our sanity!
The University of Florida concluded research about how the high amounts of pressure that exams bring affect students’ mental health. The director of this study, Dr. Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick states the obvious. “A growing body of research is showing that high achieving students also face much higher levels of stress than their classmates, while having fewer support mechanisms within the school”. Now, on top of piling all this work on top of us, schools do not seem to provide enough resources for us to deal with all the stress that we carry.
Even with all of our academic roadblocks, we as students can do many activities that will help us destress. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is just stop studying, or burn your books and just relax for a while. Other less hazardous ways to destress include going out for walks and getting some fresh air, which is always soothing. Or, grab a pair of headphones, set up some speakers in the house, and just listen to some music that soothes you. If you are not a nature or music person, then you can always find a hobby that you like to do to keep your mind off of some things..
Through these stressful times, there are always resources that can help us get through everything. And remember, we’re all in this together!
