This generation’s teenagers have enough to worry about, with all of the excessive homework, family issues, and self-consciousness that runs rampant through our brains. Coping mechanisms do not work for everyone, not to mention that they require much time and effort.

75% of high schoolers and 50% of middle schoolers described themselves as “often or always feeling stressed” by schoolwork. Many teens don’t have the motivation or mental strength to get out of bed, let alone to find a way to get a serotonin boost.

The excessive amount of homework- while sometimes necessary- can play a big role in how unmotivated students are. When you have heaps of homework, and more is continuously being added, it’s much easier to just sit back and ignore it.

This is getting worse in virtual environments, because there is less accountability for school work. It’s also easier to cheat, so students don’t feel the need to memorize topics and other information, when google is staring at us in the face.

Teachers have also taken a liking to assigning busywork, or homework that is beyond unnecessary. What’s the point of doing work that is not graded, but still required? Especially when topics are easy enough to understand without the excessive amount of practice.

Students are also worrying about opportunities that were lost due to COVID. Volunteering has been harder, summer programs shut down, and sports teams can be dangerous. Having high-risk relatives makes it harder for students to fill out their applications for various online positions and programs, not to mention college.

There is a difference between healthy stress, before COVID hit and virtual academy began, and what we are feeling now. Healthy stress is a good push to keep you on your toes, always doing what you need to be doing.

The unhealthy stress currently building up is the product of pandemic-driven fears, very limited social interaction, excessive workloads, and lost opportunities creating panic in students everywhere.