Its been a while since I picked up my laptop and just typed for fun. In recent months, the only time my fingers touched the keys was to type an essay or finish an internal. My life has revolved around school entirely, and everything else has been uninterestingly slotted between the weekdays. I spent my entire holidays alone, at home, with nothing but a book to read as the wifi was out. Now, I've got spare time (I actually don't) and all I want to do is curate something of meaning to share with the world.
So, I have listed possible topics and the only thing that seems remotely interesting to me is school. Is that not a testament to my lack of social life, or what? The fact is that I have spent this whole year stressed about school. "I'm over school," is a phrase I hear far too often thrown around by people my age. The amount of pressure that is piled onto high school aged students these days is phenomenal. The slightest indication of minor failure may send someone into a full-blown mental break down. I so wish I was kidding. Numerous studies have been carried out analysing the mental health of high school students of this generation, all of which prove one thing: academic success is not just a goal, its a necessity. I have watched people cry over exam results, I myself have done it as well. New York University did an investigation into high school students at selective schools which have now altered learning to aim the students toward academic success to get these said students into university. All it proved was what any 15 to 18-year-old could've told you, anxiety isn't just a 7 letter word anymore, its a mindset thrust upon us by the drive for academic success. No one can reasonably cope with the amount of stress high school students experience when trying to achieve well at school, so it comes as no surprise that some high school students turn to substance, whether it by alcohol or drugs, to deal with school-related anxiety. A study carried out by the American Psychological Association in 2000 showed that a normal child experienced more anxiety than child psychiatric patients in the 1950's. Now take into consideration that this was 16 years ago now, and think of the fact that acceptance rates to some universities are at an all-time low, and application rates have spiked. The need to succeed at school is so important for those of us wanting to continue education at a tertiary level. Its become the social norm for teenagers to joke about school-related stress and how it makes you feel, since everyone knows that academic anxiety plagues each adolescent mind. Don't forget that all those 'fun' extracurriculars, everything else that is necessary for a true 'high school experience' also become the more reasons to develop mental health issues. Didn't get in the top sports team? Stuttered on stage? Don't worry, these are only part of the essence of your university application! Now also take into consideration that teenagers in 2016 are apart of the 'iPhone generation'. With the world at our fingertips, who would want to compare their own success to your schoolmates when you can flick over to Instagram and compare yourself to Kylie Jenner. Forget insecurities relating to body image for two seconds, and think of how comparing life related success could be as detrimental. In a capitalist world, financial success after university is the new academic-stress. Once the iPhone generation leave high school, university or wherever, there is a whole world of stress waiting to fill your mind. Then on top of all of this, there is the stigma around complaining about school as there are so many who go without an education. Now, don't get mistake me, I'm the first to shut down anyone that complains about having to go to school, I know how many girls would kill to have my position at school, all for an education, but that doesn't mean that venting about anxiety is wrong. By extension the stigma around discussing the stresses of school and then being critiqued for being ungrateful, then creates a stigma about being truly honest about anxiety and the impact it has on your mental health. Appreciation of school is different to loving school. Love of school implies that people love everything about school whereas appreciation implies that you recognise and understand everything that goes into giving you an education. However, on a more personal level, its difficult to ignore these studies into high school anxiety as I myself experience it often in regards to academic success. The worst thing is that we watch one another during high school succumb to the pressure of achieving well, and slip into an anxiety-induced zombie-like state. Where we just go through the motions of school and homework. The fact is, that pressure to succeed will never truly leave you, but at a high school level, expectations feel like they are so far out of reach, that the only coping mechanism is to stress. I really hope that the way that I deal with academic things in the future is better than I, as well as many others, am right now, because we need a generation where anxiety isn't a regular thing, and where the mental health of our generation is actually stable. - C NYU Study American Psychological Association for Samantha
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