Under Pressure
Stress causing health issues
May 11, 2016
Wanting to go home because you feel sick or nauseous? It’s possible that that flu you thought you had is actually stress and is causing you to feel sick.
Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. According to the American Physiological Association, there are three types of stress: acute, episodic and chronic.
Acute stress is the most common form of stress and is the result from anticipated stressors. Episodic stress is acute stress that occurs often; it may come in a pattern and occur with anxiety and worry. Chronic stress is long lasting and can have major negative effects on someone’s physical and mental health.
Stephanie Allegre, school social worker, said, “Stress affecting the body is just inevitable. If a student is under stress, it will start to take a toll on their health and have a negative impact.”
Stress can cause headaches, nausea, digestive problems, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, chest pain and skin conditions. It will also cause anxiety, depression, panic attacks, sleep problems and a higher risk of suicide.
According to TeenHelp, the top three common stressors in students are school work, parents and relationships.
Allegre said, “I have seen stress have a major affect on the immune system, students will think they have the flu and will have bronchial problems.”
Some students have stayed home because they have been physically and mentally drained from stress.
“I know three people who have been hospitalized or went home sick because of stress,” Kayla Ballard, junior, said.
Becky Ball, nurse, said, “Everyone has stress and that’s normal, but it’s not normal when it goes on for weeks and months. Stress can range from mild to severe, and some students end up ill with all kinds of different symptoms.”
According the USA Today, 51 percent of 1,018 U.S. teens in the year of 2013 reported being stressed in the past month, and 55 percent claimed being stressed in the past school year. The website also stated that about 36 percent of teens feel fatigued/tired when under stress, and 40 percent of teens often seem irritable or angry when they are stressed.
The newspaper staff took an online quiz to test their stress levels on the website, LearnPsychology. At the end of quiz, students were asked to add up all of their points to determine their stress level from zero, being not stressed at all, and 30, which is severe.
Most of the staff got eight or more points. And although eight out of 30 does not seem like much, the test suggested that most of the staff should see a doctor and get help right away.
The majority of the students said that the results were inaccurate and a bit exaggerated. Students claimed being stressed, but don’t think they needed to contact a doctor.
“I felt the quiz was accurate, but the tip wasn’t. I don’t need any help from a counselor or doctor. I’m alright,” Travis Kahn, senior, said.
Despite the quiz over-reporting stress levels, the questions provided useful information regarding the different types of symptoms that accompany stress and students said they learned a lot.
As stress takes a mental and physical toll, students have found many ways to manage the stresses of school, jobs, hobbies, etc.
“I listen to music and relax to cope with stress,” Bailey Cheshire, sophomore, said.
Allegre said, “To cope with stress students should work on deep breathing and positive self- talk. Saying ‘I can do this’ and ‘I’ll get through this’ can really help. Just take one step and day at a time, that way it’s not too overwhelming.”
Next time, when one feels like they have the flu, remember it may just be that stress from math homework.
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