With the school year coming to an end, with only forty-nine days left as of writing this, it is time to destress, decompress, and breathe. After another year that went by far too quickly, it is time to finish on a high note and let all the built-up emotion of the school year disappear. I want to discuss in this article the negative impacts of stress and why it is best to simply breath and take a break sometimes.

When we discuss stress, I am sure that most high school students would agree that they experience stress regarding school or social situations. It is important to look at some of the impacts of stress on the body. Some symptoms include but are not limited to headaches, fatigue, chest pain, lack of motivation, sadness or depression, and even drug use. In fact, the American Psychological Association did a study and found that 30% of teens report being sad or depressed from all the stress in which they have. I think most teens would agree now that there is a lot of pressure to be the best for others not themselves. Through social media we compare ourselves to others, causing a belief system that to be good enough you must be better than somebody else. This is a major contribution to stress, directly in front, or behind school. The expectation at schools have changed. The way public education has changed has gone from challenging to mind-numbing. There is no magical reason that students dislike school. Gone are the days of challenging, developing course work. Today is the day of rats in a classroom, the subjects for the next study of the benefits of common core. Tests are not a bad idea, but too many tests are a problem. Not only do test add stress to every day, but the college admission process adds stress to the overall well-being. Now colleges continue to become more and more “competitive.” Colleges want to have the best possible students, and rightfully want students that will be the next generation of leaders. The issue is that they solely judge students on the too many tests given. Everything ties into each other and creates tension in students lives. Sometimes, it’s good to take a “mental health day.” Take a nice Wednesday morning to sleep in, go get some breakfast, and relax. Do something you enjoy for once. Life is way too short to dislike everything, and never do what interests you. Breathe and go explore the great adventures this state has to offer. From somebody who has traveled all over North Carolina, there is far more to this beautiful state than ugly town homes and shopping centers, *cough* Apex *cough.*

Have faith in yourself and look out for yourself before anybody. Your mental health should be a priority over an assignment at school. Do you agree that being stressed affects your life, or does stress not both you? Let us know in the comments below!