The Epidemic of Anxiety in High School

Today, the average high school student has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950’s. Research shows that students are getting more anxious each decade due to factors such as the advancement of social media, peer pressure, and social comparison. The medical definition of anxiety is intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. To continue, the symptoms of anxiety are insomnia, tachycardia, elevated blood pressure, sweating, nausea, breathing problems, headaches, fatigue, difficulty focusing, and anxiety attacks.

Unfortunately, anxiety doesn’t stop there because heightened anxiety is a condition in which causes panic attacks that include sudden and unpredictable onsets of fear or distress. Panic attacks have similar symptoms to anxiety like palpitations, trembling, shortness of breath and can also cause dizziness, chest pain, and the feeling of losing control and paresthesia. Taken these symptoms into consideration, it is noticed that they resemble those of heart disease, thyroid complications, breathing disorders and many others. Research has proven the common factors that increase student’s anxiety are “pressure of social media, pressure to fit in, pressure to achieve,” academic pressure, and having to balance problems at home and school. (Kathy Reamy). Not only does school counselor Kathy Reamy adhere to the attributes that lead to anxiety she claims that she’s “had more students this year hospitalized for anxiety, depression, and other mental-health issues than ever. There’s just so much going on in this day and age...” (Kathy Reamy).

According to multiple mental health surveys roughly 70% of students said they had anxiety. This demonstrates how anxiety is becoming a major problem for student body’s not just on a local scale, but nation-wide. Although an accurate diagnosis of anxiety can only be made through a mental health professional, it is important to keep in mind the symptoms of anxiety and how often you get them. Nonetheless, there are also many online self-tests that can allow you to self-evaluate your level of anxiety and provide you with tips of how to control it. We asked many high school students and peers about how they deal with their anxiety and a constant response was that they didn’t know what to do or they try to avoid what they are feeling.

Some tips to minimize anxiety levels involve staying active, exercising regularly, ditching caffeine or reducing the amount you drink it, practicing deep breaths, and finding a way to get your focus on something else such as a hobby. According to the Health Magazine, a couple ways to naturally relieve anxiety are chamomile tea because it helps to calm you down due to the compounds in chamomile that bind brain receptors as drugs like valium. In another study, drinking green tea, according to the Health Magazine, can “help curb a rising heart rate and blood pressure, and a few small human studies have found that it reduces anxiety.” (Health Magazine). Another remedy that reduces anxiety is lemon balm because “lemon balm extracts (600 mg) [made subjects] calmer and alert than those who took a placebo.” (Health magazine). Although, you shouldn’t have excessive intakes of these remedies because it is bad for your health.

Lastly, “our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.” (Kahlil Gibran). Therefore, don’t worry about what might happen and start focusing on your mental health. You will be okay.

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