Something that is not addressed very widely on a school campus is the nagging and constant anxiety some students face. Whether it be caused by an overwhelming class load, extracurriculars, and sometimes a mixture of both, students on campus are finding it difficult to stay afloat.

“Time management is very difficult when you have so many things to do and so few hours in the day,” said Lauren Kisicki, junior and Drum Major apprentice.

A large chunk of students juggle multiple AP/dual classes, along with having a job and maintaining leadership positions in clubs. Getting hours at work and finishing homework assignments have now become more of a priority than their physical and mental health.

Many of them work opening to closing during the weekend and then continue to work until the late hours of the night after school. Others find themselves struggling to finish homework after a long and exhausting sports practice. Students are staying up until the sunrise trying to get together a final project for a class.

High school students will take on more than they can handle, but will continue to push themselves to new extremes many adults wouldn’t be willing to do.

“I’m in softball, basketball, FCA, NHS, SOFS, and so it is a lot of volunteering, getting hours for that and also hours on the court and softball field,” said Grace Lyons, senior.

These students challenge themselves to be the best person they can be and even though they may seem happy, it is important to acknowledge the amount of stress they face.

According to research found by the American Psychological Association, teenagers are facing higher stress levels than most adults do. These levels have also proven to increase dramatically during the school year when a student is busiest.

“Sometimes the stress is so overbearing I just freeze up and don’t know how to process the amounts of work I have to do. Between the four of my AP classes, badminton, and work, I find myself struggling to even find time to see my friends. I feel like people don’t quite understand everything that goes along with being an active participant in school activities and AP classes,” said Grace Neal, junior.

While many students decide to take on these work loads because they want to build up their college résumé or they want to earn extra money, not all students choose this path for themselves. Excelling in all aspects of school can be pushed upon the students by parents and the competition to be better than another student drives teens to do unimaginable things.

“I’m very proud of myself for taking harder classes and being able to do well in them. However, my parents did have a lot of influence and say from a young age and I feel like I never had much of a choice regarding my classes. That in itself causes me a lot of anxiety because I’m always nervous I won’t be able to meet their expectations,” Neal said.

Not wanting to disappoint family or themselves can weigh heavily on students and cause major anxiety.

However, while many teens deal with stress, anxiety and other levels of mental illness, they have found ways to cope.

“I definitely make a set schedule for the week, lay out everything that I have to do and then do certain thing on certain days. When I’m working I try to make sure I have as little homework as possible. There’s definitely more to school than just school and work, there’s outside life and outside perspectives that kind of makes it really stressful,” said Sloane Sivek, junior and Sports Medicine intern.

The young adults of OHS show outstanding levels of maturity and responsibility by showing an active interest in attempting to make their situation better. High school may be some of the first few hardest years of their lives, but they are proving themselves to be young, responsible adults by acknowledging what they could be doing better and then finding ways to alleviate some of this stress.

“I do get stressed out a lot, but I do try and manage my priorities and make sure that I am focused on the right stuff, and not getting too overwhelmed with everything,” Grace Lyons said.

What students should know is that they aren’t alone when it comes to stress; that they have a whole student body who is most likely experiencing the same problems and that they can find comfort in a friend or even a teacher. It is very important for students to be there for one another and help a classmate out when they need it.

“It sounds mean to say, but I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like this,” Grace Neal said.