Coping With End-of-the-Year Stress

With the year’s end looming, Northwest Career and Technical Academy students inevitably experience stress as deadlines, heavy coursework, and significant changes appear on the horizon, stirring fear and anxiety. 

The thought of the future is always a compelling concept since there's no guessing what will and won't happen. Unfortunately, these thoughts can feed into people's stress, which students mentioned. 

"Since the beginning of the year, I've been worried about Junior year just because of the number of exams and new possibilities," Kaili Tam, sophomore, shares, "we'll be able to have jobs and drive, and that overall idea we're growing up is scary to anybody."

Along with the choices and options to do over the summer, Tam's friend, sophomore Jacqueline "Jackie" Ly, discusses her recommendations and regrets regarding summer preparation.

"When the school year ends, I'd recommend doing the summer reading or homework for the classes you'll be taking next year since I didn't for AP World History," Ly confesses, "not doing it has led me to regret it because now I have to make up for that while doing readings every other night for that class."

Instead of continuing to think about the possibilities of the future and upper years, though, freshman Alyson "Winter" Torres reminisces about how this end of the year compared to the previous years before high school. 

"This year has been much more stressful than any of the previous years due to the workload, so if anything, I'm grateful that this year is coming to an end," Torres smiled, "the problem with that thought process is that I have to remind myself of the fact that to make it to the end, I'll have to go through the hardest end of the year projects, assignments, etc. if this year keeps its name as the hardest school year I've ever had so far." 

Fortunately, despite the constant reminder of work and rigorous courses, all three shared the same silver lining. Once it's over, the three months of summer afterward make the end of the year the most accomplished part of the entire school year, as it brings free time and new possibilities. 

"After the projects and exams, though, I feel that during the summer, I'll not only be able to relax but give myself a pat on the back for being able to mature enough to help me prepare for my second year of high school after," Torres concluded.