As students, we are expected to do the work necessary to graduate and make our way to the future in a career we’d like to pursue. Obviously, we are going to be doing assignments and things like that, however, when it gets to a point where it’s too much work, school can become overwhelming.

We as students have around 7-8 classes to manage. and making sure that each class’ work is completed is a lot. Having to manage 8 classes, and completing all of that work can be exhausting.  Each new day, there is more work. Students can spend the night finishing homework, however completing assignments late at night can disturb your sleep schedule. This could result in sleep deprivation and decreased cognitive function throughout the next day.

Due to the fact we are in high school, we are expected to do more work. The stress students feel when they haven’t finished work can be troublesome and take a toll on their health. A student’s stress isn’t just mental, it can be physical as well and affect others.  Stress takes a toll on physical health. The constant strain of sitting down for hours is bad enough to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular problems, musculoskeletal issues, and diabetes as it impacts the blood flow throughout your body. This makes it worse because we are already nearly sitting for 8 hours at school, add additional hours of doing homework your risk goes even higher.

Some other discomfort students feel after being overloaded with work is headaches, stomach issues, weight loss, eye strain, back and muscular pain, irritability, and suppressed appetite. According to Healthline, 70  percent of students say they’re always stressed about schoolwork and around 80% of students have felt at least one symptom of stress related to schoolwork. And around 44% have felt more than three symptoms.

It has been reported students feel anxiety when completing homework due to the fact they feel it is overwhelming. And if they aren’t able to turn in the work on time, their grades will drop and that if their grades drop, they will fail the school year and not graduate.  Students may also feel high expectations from their parents in completing their work on time and that can cause even more stress.

Additionally the pressure of completing excessive work can negatively impact one’s mental health and can lead to depression and anxiety and increased stress hormones, which are bad for the body. Excessive homework can leave you imbalanced. One’s personal life and academic life are both important.  A lack of balance between the two can leave you feeling burned out and overwhelmed, resulting in less time being spent with family and friends. Lacking time for doing what you like doing in your free time, such as hobbies and activities, can decrease your overall enjoyment. Excessive homework can also hold back a student’s developmental needs and other critical life skills.

Each student has a way of learning, such as audio or  visual and thus resulting in the feeling of overload if a student cannot comprehend what the teacher is instructing. An example of an issue is deadlines. Some teachers may announce a project unexpectedly and have the deadline in less than a few days, which is a bad thing as students will begin stressing about completing the project on time. A better way of assigning major work, like a project, is making the due date near end of the quarter and giving students time in class to do the project during the quarter.

“Homework and projects should be manageable for each student’s needs and capabilities,” explained counselor, Mr. Uncles.

Homework is assigned for good reasons,  as it can help a student’s understanding of subjects. However the problem is the way schools manage work. Some teachers seem to forget that students are juggling work from 8 different classes, not just their class.

A student can help with the stress by making sure they eat nutritional foods, such as fruits and vegetables. A healthy lifestyle should include being physically active and taking the time to relax.  Another way students can manage their stress is taking the time to wind down before going to sleep. The key to developing good homework habits is setting a homework time and establishing rules while in a space of no distractions.

Managing your homework-related stress is important. “Deal with the stress now and learn  how to manage it now so you don’t carry it over,” said Mr. Uncles.