Stress. Unfortunately, it’s something we all struggle with. Whether its from school, work, extracurriculars, or a combination of these, we all experience it. In some cases more than others… for instance senior Joey Testa.
Joey is currently taking three AP classes. He is also a member of Chick Fil A Leader Academy, NHS, and Interact club.
Testa is a member of mathletes meeting bimonthly, as well as vice president of Key Club whose meetings are at least twice a week.
Not only is Joey very involved academically and with school clubs, but works at Best Buy in Greensburg about 20 hours per week.
As one can imagine, these commitments require a lot of time. Joey estimates he gets around seven hours of sleep each night, which is below the recommended sleep teenagers are averaged to get 7.25 hours of sleep, however they need 9- 9.25 hours according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Sleep deprivation in teens can negatively affect their mood, behavior, cognitive ability, academic performance, and can lead to drowsy driving.
When asked if he felt stressed, Joey responded with, “Yes. Taking AP classes, working, college stuff, testing, extracurriculars, and volunteering is way too much on my plate.” He adds, “The new schedule stresses me out as well because lunch and learn should only be lunch and learn and not club meetings. I barely have time to get to eat and I have to choose between the clubs that I want to go to every day, which doesn’t leave me any time for tutoring.”
Joey says this is his most stressful year and college applications aren’t helping.
When asked if college is stressing him out, his one word answer said it all, “Absolutely.” Not only are students like Joey stressed about managing their time wisely, but also performing well. Many students are very concerned about their grades and test scores because they want to get into the college of their dreams.
High school students are surrounded by stress triggers all the time. Going to school for eight hours and then having to balance work, sports, and extracurriculars, as well as time for family and friends can be difficult. To blow off some steam, Joey enjoys watching Netflix or cleaning.
