End-of-School Stress: How Students Cope

As the end of the year inches closer, TWHS students turn towards a variety of coping strategies to deal with the stress associated with the last few weeks of school.

Some students like to listen to music, exercise, or read as ways to relieve their stress. However, an easier fix might be possible; sleep.

Emmett Foley stated that “I think getting a good night’s rest is a great way [to deal with stress], it kind of resets your body, and then the next day you feel more calm and ready.”

Foley’s claim has a lot of truth behind it, as studies suggest that getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night decreases feelings of stress, and also improves productivity and performance on exams.

This is not to say that it’s not necessary to use other strategies to manage stress though, as they are equally valuable in performing in school. 

“I don’t really have good skills with dealing with my stress, I kind of just try to forget about it and hope for the best,” senior Kayla Hawkins said. This leads to her feeling an increased amount of stress, allowing some of her work to pile up and ultimately causing even more stress about getting these things done. Using other stress management strategies could help handle this extra pressure, but the increased use of time can leave less time for other work. 

It could again be valuable to look at sleep in this situation. For students like Kayla who may not have established stress management skills, sleeping more may be an especially good solution to cope with end-of-year stress, as a simple change can make you feel a lot better. This allows you to feel more motivated to get your work done, without losing a significant amount of time each day to using other stress management techniques. 

This may be an especially good solution for students who lack established coping skills for stress, as a simple change can make you feel a lot better.