Illustration courtesy of Linnaea Marks

  Stress about school at San Luis Obispo High School has always been an issue. Now, there is stress regarding whether or not students continue distance learning, or go back to in person classes. Expressions set out to find students who deal with this newfound stress.

    Stress regarding grades and tests already overwhelms students on a regular basis. New stress about COVID-19 and risks about going back to in-person schooling has an affect on students and creates new issues among students. 

  “There are two kinds of stress: eustress, and distress. Positive stress can be experienced when someone is well focused on a specific task, motivated, feeling confident and also excited about the result he/she is hoping to achieve. It is a typical short term feeling. Negative stress (called DISTRESS) occurs when a person feels unable to perform or to cope with a situation. I think that our students are experiencing Distress, for the most part, and being ‘worried or fearful’ is a form of bad stress. I believe that we cannot always change our predicament, but we can always change our perspective. If students are worried or scared about returning to school, then we counselors would encourage pursuing optimism and looking at ‘what is right and good’ instead of what is wrong and scary. It’s a mind shift and it takes daily practice to develop positive thinking!” said counselor Kerry Ingles.

    Stress among students has exceeded stress levels in adults, and teens have reported that their stress levels during the school year far exceeded what they believe to be healthy (5.8 vs. 3.9 on a 10-point scale) and topped adults’ average reported stress levels (5.8 for teens vs. 5.1 for adults).

  “My thoughts about returning to school are good thoughts. I am not afraid. This faculty cares deeply for our students and we will do everything in our power to provide a safe, compassionate, and kind learning environment. I do not think that we should be stressed and worried. I think we should be mindful and make healthy choices. If we all work together for the greater good, then we will all get through this in a safe and healthy manner!” said Ingles.

  Many students think that distance learning is the best option for school at the moment.

    “Well, I think the idea of going back to in person learning is a bit stressful because I’m not used to it anymore and it’s like a whole new thing again. It’s also weird because it’s strange to see people I haven’t seen in so long. I think everyone reacts differently and has different stress factors,” said junior Ella Butterfield. 

    This new stress about school and online has been affecting various students at SLOHS, has it been affecting you too?

Source: apa.org