What is academic stress?

Youth, Grades and Stress

Academic stress is the stress young people experience when school work is getting too much to handle.

Is stress bad for you?

It depends on the amount and how long you are exposed to it. Short-term stress can be good for you because it motivates you to get things done. If you feel stressed most of the time, it can lead to emotional and physical problems. If that is what you are experiencing, it is important to seek help.

What can I do if I am experiencing academic stress?

• Talk to your teachers or counselors about your concerns and see if something can be done about your workload.

• If you have difficulty with a particular class, talk to your teacher or counselor and see if you can get tutoring.

• Also, learn to improve your organizational skills and prioritize your work.

Are you Feeling Hopelessness?

What is hopelessness?

One of the worst things about being a young person is having less influence or control over what is happening around you. Young people can experience hopelessness when they feel powerless to change their situation.

It is important to determine if the situation is really beyond your control or if you just believe it to be so.

What can I do if I am feeling hopeless?

Ask yourself, if you cannot help what is happening around you, what can you do to help yourself?

What you can do to help yourself will give you some feeling of control and power towards the first step of managing the situation.

First, perhaps you want to get help by talking to your parents or a trusted adult. If not addressed, hopelessness can lead to other emotional challenges. It is also important to remember that you cannot always control what happens to you, but you have full control of how you respond to the situation.

How to Handle Anger: How can I learn to control my anger?

There are different ways to manage anger. Try this!

1. First, try to stop everything you are doing by focusing on your breath.

2. Body Scan: Take a moment to notice the sensation of the feelings in your body.

3. Name the feeling: Try to understand what you are thinking that is making you feel angry. If you are angry that your friend betrayed and treated you unfairly, for example, “I feel angry that my friend lied to me.”

4. Make sure the feeling of anger subsides. Then restart from a #GREAT place.

5. Identify exactly what happened. Remember to separate the facts from opinions

Different Responses to Anger

​Unhealthy Anger

Healthy Anger

You attacked your friend physically and verbally. Deflect the anger by attacking other people, animals, or damaging things

Apply GREAT Give compassion to yourself and your friend in finding balance. Accept the emotions you experienced as a result of what happened. If your friend is in the wrong, relate non-judgmentally by asserting yourself, and engage actively by communicating with your friend requesting for a behavioral change. Reflect on the situation, what did you do to contribute, what have you learned, and what change will you make?