Stress is increasingly prevalent in the lives of high school students. The months of May and June are even more anxiety-inducing for teenagers due to AP exams, final exams, and SOLs. These three different tests hold a lot of weight for some people. Success on the AP exams means that some colleges will let students forego taking certain introductory classes. Final exams account for 20 percent of the final grade and SOLs make the difference between whether or not students can graduate from high school. There is so much emphasis on doing well on these tests that at the end of the year, while students should be celebrating their hard work for the last nine months, they are instead staying up all night studying and suffering from severe anxiety. Recent studies have shown that high school students now have anxiety levels matching those of people committed to mental institutions in the early 1950s.

This level of anxiety in teenagers can cause them to look anywhere for a little stress relief, and they often find it in the wrong places.

High school students sometimes turn to using and abusing drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism when they find themselves faced with tough circumstances. The brief numbing of the mind may provide momentary relief, but it can have long lasting consequences. First, the underage use of alcohol and the abuse of drugs are against the law. Students will face jail or time in a rehabilitation center if they are caught by law enforcement in possession of these substances. Even worse, teenagers often face the danger of drug overdose or alcohol poisoning due to their inexperience and immaturity. Drinking and using drugs in secret means teenagers do not have the parental guidance to do it safely. For example, most teenagers do not know the difference between a stimulant and a depressant, or the dangers of combining them. Alcohol is a depressant, so mixing it with a highly caffeinated drink like red bull or monster can be extremely dangerous. One danger is that the caffeine in energy drinks masks the effect of the depressants in alcohol. Therefore, people do not feel as drunk as they actually are and continue to drink after they have reached their limit.

They may also not realize how impaired they are and therefore attempt to drive under the influence. For more on the dangers of these substances, go to the following website.

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/caffeine-and-alcohol.htm

In addition, if a teen has a serious or dangerous reaction to drugs or alcohol they and their friends are reluctant to seek help because of the self-incrimination. However, if underage people seek help for medical issues caused by drug or alcohol use and call the police or go to the hospital, they will not face criminal charges. Overall, safety is far more important than avoiding punishment.

Instead of turning to harmful coping mechanisms, stressed out teens should try a more relaxing method such as going to a therapist, indulging in a calming hobby, and in some severe cases an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication can make the difference between suffering from stress and living a happy and serene life. Good hobbies for combating stress include exercising, painting, or reading a book. Exercising activates endorphins in the body which can lower anxiety levels in the mind.

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression

The options for stress-reducing activities are endless. Although stress may seem like an inescapable part of high school, there are many healthy ways to avoid it.