Stress Relief: Advice From Peers and Interview with GZAAT Psychologist

Are you stressed? if so, its totally normal. Nowadays, stress and anxiety are one of the most common problems among high school students. Their stress is mostly caused by the school environment, grades, examinations, homework, etc. GZAAT students were surveyed anonymously to answer some questions about stress and how they deal with it.

Firstly, students were asked to rate their stress levels on a scale of one to ten, one being not stressed at all and ten being very stressed. 78 students out of 107 rated their stress level with more than seven. (chart no.1)

chart No.1

Secondly, the students were asked about the reasons for their stress. The most common answers to this question were: grades, with 84% of surveyed, exams, with 63% of respondents, and deadlines according to 58% of students who answered. There were other answers to this question, such as university admissions, projects, fitting in with peers, interacting with classmates, motivation, time management, timetable changes, and etc. So as it is shown, GZAAT students’ stress is caused mostly because of school.

Lastly, the surveyed students were asked to give advice to their peers with the same problem. In the end, no one can give you better advice than a person going through the same situation as you are. So, here are some of the advice the students gave:

• “Try not to worry about taking breaks, it's okay to have a few late or missing assignments, mental health is more important.”

• “I would recommend my peers to start worrying less about marks, assignments, and exams because the less you stress, the better results you have.”

• “Meditate and try to take time for yourself!”

• “Well, all I can say from my experience is that students should turn to hobbies (if time allows), for example, listen to music while doing math homework (that's what I personally do) or just take time between homework of different subjects to get rid of that stress. :)”

• “Managing your work properly and completing homework on time may relieve stress or maybe even taking a self-care day during the weekend”

• “If you have any extra time fill it in with doing something productive, such as reading, working out, or something creative like drawing, anything that might help your mind relax a bit.”

• “Do sports, watch movies, read books you like, draw if you want, and most importantly, eat! This is a huge problem now and I can see perfectly well that it has affected many kids around me, including myself. So, it's not a crime to eat!”

• “Don't overthink certain problems or concerns you have about yourself, because that will further cause unhappiness and unwanted thoughts. Be confident and believe in yourself”

created by Natalia Nakaidze

The school phycologist, Keti Mosashvili, was also interviewed about this topic. The first question was “What can students do to deal with stress?” and here is her response: “There are lots of ways to deal with stress. Some strategies are individual and do not work for all. But the bases for all strategies are good quality sleep, physical activity, and healthy eating. In addition socializing, hobbies, and focusing on our strengths are good ways to cope.” Secondly, she was asked about the positive sides of stress, she answered: “Stress is not always bad. It actually keeps us alert and motivated to function daily. There is this concept of eustress which means positive stress. People experience it in different times like starting a new job, marriage, going to college, etc.” And in the end, she was asked about the effects of stress on students, she said: “Permanent stress can affect student life negatively in different areas like academic, social, emotional and physical. Excessive stress "shuts down" part of our nervous system that is responsible for self-regulation and leaves us with only a "primitive" state. In this state we are not capable of concentrating, paying attention, and processing the information.”

In the end, stressing is normal and totally okay! Remember that you’re not the only one who’s stressed out, most of the students around you are going through the same thing, you should just try to find ways to dial with it.

Edited by Keta Tavartkiladze