The school-going age is very volatile. While children at this age may have a carefree life with minimal obligations, things do not always appear that way for them. There are many things in the life of a school-going child that would cause them turmoil, and being children, they may have a hard time articulating it. These include injury, social pressures, juggling responsibilities, and health issues. As such, it is the responsibility of the adults and persons of responsibility in the lives of the children to provide guidance and ways to ensure that they are relaxed in stressful situations. Here are some ways schools can help avoid future issues such as perpetual student syndrome.
Identifying Key Stressors And Triggers
The first thing schools can do to help students feel less stressed in school is to identify the things that cause them stress. The first primary stressor for students in school is academic performance. In a society that values education prowess and insists on academic diligence, students’ performance in schools could be a significant concern and worry for the students. It is granted that education is vital for students, not only as far as career prospects are concerned, but also in shaping the students’ character. Nonetheless, constantly insisting on it could have a drastic effect on the mental health of the students.
Other stressors and triggers include sports and the interplay between sporting activities and academics. Students who struggle to balance academics with extracurricular activities may get stressed.
The student’s social lives and home lives could impact their stress levels. For example, when students face challenges in their social lives in school through bullying or segregation from other students, they might be very stressed. This is also the case when the students have a strained family life back home. Conflict at home contributes significantly to students’ stress in school.
Reducing Stress and Keeping Students Relaxed
After identifying the stressors the students deal with, the next step is to devise strategies for dealing with the stress levels that students have and keeping them relaxed.
1. Counseling
According to researchers, the brain can develop and grow, provided that humans make an active effort towards modifying thought patterns. Scientists refer to this attribute as neuroplasticity. Through mindfulness counseling, teachers can attempt to teach their students always to see the positive side of things and to condition their thoughts to embrace positivity and reduce automatic responses to triggers.
The techniques this form of counseling employs are instrumental in teaching students to be more aware of their emotions and embrace them. Mindfulness techniques emphasize relaxation too.
2. Creative Learning Experiences
Schools can attempt to incorporate creative learning experiences to remove the edge and strain of learning. Creativity allows students to be at peace and relaxed even as they continue to learn. Where students are allowed to pursue their creative interests alongside their academic interests, they are likely to work harder at school work, which translates to improved performance and less stress attributable to academic rigors.
3. Healthy Eating
While it may appear bizarre, healthy food is a good stress reliever. A healthy diet boosts brainpower while at the same time improving the general wellness of the human body. Therefore, healthy eating results in a healthy and relaxed body. Schools may help the student’s health by providing nutritious meals in the cafeteria and teaching parents about what healthy foods to serve the children back home.
4. Teaching Students Organizational Techniques
Order helps students to be relaxed. While some students may thrive in a chaotic environment, clutter and disorder causes stress and decreases productivity. The condition causes students also to lose things which can cause a cascading effect on different stressors the students have. Ensuring that students have everything in order avoids the stressors attributed to the disorder.
5. Getting Enough Sleep and Time Off School
Where students have a rigorous schedule with a lot of responsibilities, they are likely to have erratic sleep schedules. This will place the students at a disadvantage since they will be less productive and have a lower capacity to learn. This will result in poor academic performance and more stress. Thus, schools should emphasize the importance of sleep and breaks during school semesters to increase students’ productivity and well-being.
6. Building Community
The age-old proverb states that no man is an island – Everyone needs a strong and vibrant community to thrive. Community helps students to be relaxed and calm in many instances. Additionally, it provides the students with an opportunity for peer help and counseling where they can share their problems and figure out a way to help themselves. With a strong school community, students can attain this.
Parting Shot
Students in various stages of emotional distress depend on their schools and teachers to help navigate their stressful conditions. Thus, schools must undertake their responsibility to ensure that the stress levels are low and that the students are relaxed.
