Essay: Dear girls: Your not-so-average guide to surviving high school
Share with others:
As thousands of students reach their high school years, levels of stress continue to increase. This is especially true for females; in my school, when I took a survey of 24 students (a group of 12 boys and 12 girls) that asked them if high school is stressful for them, 11 out of the 12 girls responded "yes," while only 50 percent of boys seem to let high school bog down their spirits.
Meanwhile, as a student taking AP and honors courses with thorough involvement in rowing, Future Business Leaders of America and the high school literary magazine, I can also say that my high school years have not been a walk in the park.
This idea just doesn't come from personal experience alone; research indicates girls are more likely to feel stressed out about high school. Roni Cohen-Sandler, a clinical psychologist and author who has been featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," CBS News and "Pure Oxygen" and National Public Radio, has conducted studies on the subject. She found that girls are 55 percent more likely than boys to say they pressure themselves to get good grades and do well in school. Also, two-thirds of girls "usually" or "always" worry about getting into the "right" college.
Because it is impossible to change how most female high school students feel, I can say that it is feasible to cope with stress. Among my suggestions:
Do something you actually enjoy doing. Too many girls are pressured into joining activities such as Student Council or Key Club because they believe that participating in such clubs will "boost their resume." Colleges want to see what you're passionate about, not what you think will get you into their institutions. If your hobby is drawing and painting, start an art club at school. If you truly love music, start a band with some of your friends.
Hit the gym or join a sports team. Physical exercise releases endorphins in your brain, which have been proven to help trigger memory senses. Thus, anything that ranges from being varsity captain of the tennis team to jogging on the treadmill can clear your mind and ease stress. Make sure to exercise regularly, too; U.S. fitness guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity every day to keep blood flowing through your muscles (this allows more oxygen to be available in your body), so be sure to either do something you enjoy (even if it is simply walking your dog) or spice it up a notch and schedule different activities for specific days. (An example schedule: set Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for swimming and Tuesdays and Thursdays for jogging; you can lift weights during the weekend.)
First Published February 8, 2012 12:00 am
