In four, out four. In four, out four. Does school make you stressed out? Sometimes, even a simple breathing exercise can make all the difference. School can be stressful for everyone, it’s a very normal feeling. Between assignments, deadlines, extracurricular activities, clubs and trying to have a social life, school can become overwhelming before we even realize it. While we all experience stress, what’s important is how we handle it, and knowing when to reach out for help. These two things are just as essential as completing your homework, if not more.
It’s easy to use the terms stress and anxiety to mean the same thing, Alaniz explains that they are different experiences. Stress might be feeling overwhelmed because you have three assignments due by Friday, while anxiety might be worrying that you are going to fail even after you have finished your work. As stress continues to build, anxiety can grow alongside it sometimes without a student even knowing. Her advice, “Give yourself grace, acknowledge your feelings, but do not sit on them.”
While we all love that we have flexibility to our learning, it also comes with responsibilities. Falling behind can happen quickly and when assignments grow it can be difficult to know where to start. iUP counselor Jessica Alaniz has some helpful advice on managing stress, overcoming anxiety and finding support.
The main cause of stress is taking on too much at once. So, rather than focusing on everything that needs to be completed at once, she recommends that you “work with your teacher to prioritize your assignments/subjects and set up a pacing schedule that is doable.” Taking action before the stress becomes unmanageable can make a huge difference.
However, knowing that help is there and actually asking for it are very different. For some it can be hard, especially if we believe we should be able to handle everything independently.
Alaniz says students should work to challenge that mindset. “Sometimes it can be a bit scary but when you step out to ask for help, you are advocating for yourself, showing yourself that you care, and choosing an inner strength. That is being brave, not weak.” One advantage of attending our school is that students have so many ways they can reach out. Whether through Canvas, chat, email, text, or phone call, your teachers and counselor are there to help. Alaniz also recommends contacting your homeroom teacher as a starting point if you are not sure who to ask for help.
One of the biggest questions that every student has is, “what happens if I fall behind?” Alaniz encourages students to communicate rather than struggle silently. “Reach out to your teachers, communicate with your parents/guardians for guidance, and contact your counselor for additional support. Falling behind can feel overwhelming, but avoiding assignments can make the stress even worse. Reaching out can help you create a plan, decide what needs to be completed first, and make the workload feel more manageable. Even sending one email can be a good first step. She wants students to “remember you are not alone.”
In the end, falling behind can happen to any of us and it does not define your intelligence, work ethic, or potential. What matters is recognizing when something is becoming too much and taking steps to move forward. As Alaniz explains, “My hope is that a shift in mindset helps set that student free of all the negative feedback that they tell themselves and that they realize, here at iUP, we encourage the connection. We want to be present and help.”
So the next time your assignments feel endless, your motivation is lacking or you find yourself staring at the screen not knowing where to begin, remember that you don’t have to solve it all at once.
Start with one assignment. Send that email. Ask that question.
And if you need a moment, try the breathing exercise from the beginning: breathe in slowly for four seconds, then breathe out slowly for four seconds. In four, out four.
