Abby Hsu ‘25, Feature Section Writer

A person dealing with stress (Banner Health)

According to the Harvard Business Review, three quarters of American high schoolers describe themselves as “often or always feeling stressed” by schoolwork. Stress can be caused by a variety of factors, including parental and peer pressure and perfectionism. However, there are many ways to combat this pressure and manage stress. Let’s hear from Newark Academy students and faculty about their thoughts on the causes of stress and ways to manage it.

Daniel Ikuno ‘26 states, “I want to do well in school because it makes me happy to get a good grade after working hard.” However, is earning the glorified “A” really worth all the stress? The satisfaction of earning a good grade is short-lived and may not be worth all the anxiety, agony and sleepless nights. Ms. Morgan from the English Department agrees: “Think Growth: The grade you get today is not the grade you’ll get tomorrow. A grade is a snapshot of a moment in time, and you are forever changing and growing. Use grades to determine how you will apply your efforts next time around.” Emphasizing the process of learning rather than the results not only puts things into perspective, but may also relieve some stress surrounding perfectionism. Focusing on growth can also be a lot more encouraging and rewarding. However, this is much easier said than done; as highschoolers, we have this tendency to compare ourselves to others, as Mr. Rezvani points out, which can lead to a lot of unnecessary pressure.

Meanwhile, Elena Koestel ‘23 is mainly stressed about the future: “A lot of us have been conditioned to think about how everything we accomplish in the present is going to affect us in the rest of our lives, and I feel that pressure now more than ever.” Many highschoolers are taught that life is a linear progression: we work hard to earn good grades, which will get us into prestigious colleges, which will land us reputable, well-paying jobs, which will lead to happy and fulfilling lives. However, in reality, there are many more paths and options for students to take; the future is more complex than this linear progression. 

Even though high school is a critical time of growth and change, students should learn to take a step back and just “take it ‘Bird by Bird’,” as Ms. Morgan explains. “Anne Lamott’s excellent book about writing reminds us that completing one small task at a time gets the whole job done.” Doing one thing at a time helps keep the workload efficient yet manageable.

Lily Sternlieb ‘24 notes that it is also stressful to balance social and personal lives. Doing homework, participating in sports and going to extracurriculars leaves very little time to hang out with friends. As high schoolers, we often feel this need to “do it all,” which can be draining and discouraging. Instead, Matt Herbert ‘25 suggests making a manageable list of tasks every week to help stay focused. Mr. Rezvani also adds, “Making sure you prioritize sleep, good nutrition, exercise and having someone (friend, sibling, parent, etc) you trust that you can talk things out with. [This] seems really basic but they make a huge difference with managing and reducing stress.”

Overall, as we approach exam season, it is important to consider the big picture rather than zeroing in on a specific test, assignment or even grade. Ms. Morgan sums this up nicely: “Think big: The world is wide and there is no one path to or definition of success. You don’t have to be or do just one thing.” The cliché “once doors close, more doors open”  holds true in this situation. Often, when we get too wrapped up in achieving a certain goal, we lose focus of what’s really important: learning