School exists as a place meant to help students learn and grow, but for teens, it can become a source of stress and anxiety. The pressure to succeed academically, fit in socially and meet various expectations can take a heavy toll on mental wellbeing. Teens today face a number of challenges, including tight deadlines, increasing workloads and peer pressure, which can lead to the deterioration of one’s mental health.
The pressure of academic achievement represents one of the major factors affecting teen mental health. Studies show that nearly 70% of teens feel overwhelmed by schoolwork, and a majority of them experience anxiety due to the overload of assessments, causing constant fear of failure. This stress can lead to unhealthy habits such as sleepless nights and burnout, leaving teens mentally exhausted and drained. The constant drive to maintain high grades and academic performance creates pressure that proves difficult to escape. As a result, students may experience higher levels of anxiety, depression and even physical health problems such as headaches or stomach aches.
Social pressures also contribute significantly to the mental health struggles of teens in school. In this stage, adolescents develop their social identities and peer relationships, which play a major role in shaping self-esteem. Teens feel the need to meet certain social standards, whether for appearance, status or social media presence. When these expectations do not meet certain checkpoints, feelings of insecurity and depression arise, causing teens to feel isolated and misunderstood. In certain cases, bullying or exclusion can occur, creating problems that further damage a teen’s mental health and self-worth.
“At times my mental health has been negatively impacted severely by academics and other added stress factors. Notably more recently, but there are times when the impact has been positive. There are a lot of social factors that can affect the way you feel and perceive yourself or others. I think my mental state is more so experiences dread more than anything but the decrease won’t happen until the beginning weeks of school,” sophomore Ailani Hernandez said.
In addition to academic and social pressures, a majority of teens experience a sense of inadequacy at school. Whether teens struggle to keep up with classmates, fall behind in subjects they find difficult or fail to participate in extracurricular activities, teens feel as though they do not measure up to expectations. These feelings of failure and self-doubt can quickly build up over time, pushing teens to feel unmotivated or engaged in their studies. This can lead to a lack of enthusiasm regarding school, causing students to fall into negative thinking patterns and become disengaged or even depressed. The pressure to constantly perform at a high level can also affect their physical health, resulting in stress-related conditions such as fatigue or trouble sleeping.
“My mental state has changed so much from then and now and after COVID-19 especially it’s been completely crushed. School makes me feel stressed and like I’m holding my breath all day. School definitely has a huge impact on how we feel, I mean it’s most of our life and with that, it’s not handled great we are told to just sit down and take tests alone and that there is only one right answer and that crush’s creativity and our will to collaborate. After summer break ends and even before I have horrible anxiety not only for what classes I will have and how the teachers will act and if they will like me but I also wonder about my classmates if I’ll get made fun of or if I’ll be completely alone,” sophomore Skyler Williams said.
While school plays a vital part in a teen’s life, it can also contribute significantly to mental health challenges. These issues can affect their emotional well-being and academic performance, making it as difficult for them to thrive in the school environment. As a community, schools should recognize these challenges and provide the necessary support to help students manage their mental health. Through better access to counseling services, creating a more supportive environment or promoting open conversations about mental health, schools can help teens handle the pressures of work and prioritize their emotional welfare.
