story by Christina Elias, photos by Katherine Mediavilla

Homework. Tests. Projects. Sports. Part-time jobs. The ACT and SAT. Friends. Family. Service.

The list goes on. These are just some of the things high school students learn to balance in the four years before college. After entering freshman year, students are given more freedom and more responsibility, which inevitably leads to higher levels of stress and increased anxiety. According to guidance counselor Amanda Johnson, anxiety and stress are two different things, but often go hand-in-hand. Johnson said anxiety is a stress-induced reaction.

Johnson explained that stress and anxiety are two different things which are often used interchangeably. Stress, she said, is the feeling of being overwhelmed.

On the other hand, “[Anxiety] can come in the form of physical reactions–panic attacks or psychosomatic things. It can be anything from, you know, feeling really hot, really flush to not being able to breath, not being able to focus, crying, all sorts of different sort of physical reactions to an emotional feeling,” Johnson said. Anxiety can also be the emotional reaction to stress, which manifests in some people as anger, irritation or frustration. Simply put, stress is the feeling, and anxiety is the reaction.

According to a national survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, about eight percent of teens suffer from anxiety disorders and related illnesses. These severe cases of anxiety are caused by chronic stress, which can also lead to digestive problems, headaches and migraines, sleep problems, depressions, irritability, illness and decreased immune systems, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

According to senior Caroline Strader, upperclassmen are often feel pressure to be involved in as many things as possible because they will “look good on college applications,” which can subject them to these high amounts of stress and school-related anxiety.

“I think it’s kind of a subconscious thing that I think a lot of seniors have,” Strader said. “It’s kind of a mindset  that we have that, ‘Oh, we have to be such a well-rounded person so that colleges will remember me rather than  thousands of other applicants.  So I think that’s a big one, is kind of building up your resume, but also I think it’s the mindset that we are the leaders of the school and we have three lower grades looking up to us and we want to be an example for them.”

Strader has been involved in many school related and extracurricular groups throughout her time at St. Teresa’s. Currently, Strader serves as secretary of Spirit Club, was a member of the fall musical “Into the Woods,” is on the committee for the refreshment table for Dancing with the Stars, coordinates senior assassins, is a part of her church’s committee to hire a new youth minister, on top of completing college applications, homework and balancing her social life.

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Strader says the most important part of handling stress is to prioritize her responsibilities. She explained that instead of using frees to socialize and relax at school, she utilizes them to get homework done.

“Just kind of figure out if what you’re doing is something that you actually love and enjoy, and if it’s not, if it’s just something that you like the idea of, then maybe it’s not for you,” Strader advised. “Definitely explore your opportunities and like I said with prioritizing, different people can handle different amounts of extracurriculars and everything, so I think just by finding that balance that works for you personally and making sure that everything you’re doing is something you enjoy.”

Freshman Bebe Zoog, who is a member of cooking club and the STA tennis team, says she plans to take on more activities in the future. According to Zoog, high school is much more stressful than middle school because of added responsibilities.
“I deal with anxiety by talking to my friends and telling them what’s on my mind,  because they always know what to say to make me feel more relaxed,” Zoog explained. “When I get stressed out I take a break from what I’m doing and go do a different activity to clear my mind.”

According to Johnson, STA tries to have the best support systems possible in place for students who are feeling overwhelmed by stress or are suffering from anxiety.

“I think we like to believe that students feel like they can come and talk to teachers or counselors or whatever, but I’m not sure that every student feel comfortable doing that,” Johnson said. “So I think that’s what we continually try and work on and assess: what are our systems? How can we help improve them? . . . Being able to identify safe people to go to, if it’s your advisor, if it’s Ms. Johnson, if it’s a teacher or staff member–who is available for you to speak with? What are your resources? What are your options? And so I think there’s just continual assessment of what we are doing [for students]. But [our system] doesn’t work for every kid. Again, it’s not a one-size-fits-all; we’ve got to figure out what works for the majority of students to help them.”

Every Tuesday and Thursday, licensed professional counselor Peg Marland is available to talk to students, Johnson said. Her office is located in the second floor rotunda of the Music & Arts Building, above the nurse’s office.

“I never want girls to feel like I am their only option,” Johnson said. “I always want them to know they can come and see me, but there are other resources they can access too. It’s so good that we have not just me. I think people need to know, because not everybody wants to come and see me, and I get that, you know? I don’t bite, but I’m not everyone’s idea of who they want to talk to.”

Johnson says that if a student is feeling overwhelmed by stress or anxiety, be aware of the resources available within STA.

“Like I’ve told girls in the past, if you are experiencing something, come in,” Johnson said. “Talk to someone. Feel safe telling someone so we can give you support . . . Sometimes it’s just about figuring out what you need to be calm, to be safe and to be healthy mentally, physically and otherwise.”