Extracurriculars and Extra Stress

It’s a new school year with new opportunities. Many students are involved with extracurriculars at the school, however after being in school for only a short period of time, students are already stressed. Is there a connection between the amount of extracurriculars students are putting time into and how stressed they are? Is it something else?

At Orem High many students are in extracurriculars ranging from sports to instruments and music, sometimes even both or more. Besides school extracurriculars, some students also work jobs outside of school. These  things students are involved in on top of their already existing school work could be leading to how stressed they are.

“It can be hard to balance literally 8 classes worth of work.” said Aubriel Eastman, a senior at Orem High. Other students seem to have a similar point of view that school work can stress you out. “You have all the classes piled on top of each other,” said Liam Buttars, a senior at Orem High. “scholarships, applying for colleges and extracurriculars to look good. It feels like it’s too much.”

Besides impacting students themselves, the stress from school and extracurriculars seems to have a major effect on life outside of school. 

“All of it is most definitely impacted by school,” said Vanessa Shepherd, a junior at Orem High. “All of the work and assignments we have periodically determine our social lives, and if we have enough time for them.”

All these activities mean giving up more time, whether that’s time at home or with friends. Putting more time and energy into something on top of already existing school work can end up leaving students feeling overwhelmed and drained.

“If I have a lot of homework or something stressing me out I run out of energy by the time I get home, then I’m in a bad mood and take it out on my family if they try to talk to me or ask me to do anything.” said Ellis Ashton, a senior at Orem High. “Also school contributes to me having a terrible sleep schedule and being so tired makes it hard to do anything else.”

Teens have very busy lives, whether that’s their involvement in school or in their family lives. Sometimes extra curricular activities and already existing work can be hard for students to balance without feeling overwhelmed by stress. 

“For teens in particular, these pressures can be especially challenging to navigate, given their stage of brain development,” said Andrew Simmons, a writer and high school teacher. “They simply can’t manage the stress like adults.”