As a high school student, getting stressed out is common. In Solon High School, guidance counselor Kathleen Kinney and social studies teacher Robert Rivera, give their perspective on student stress and provide ways in which students can be provided help in school or even out of school.

This is Kinney’s insight on how to manage stress at Solon High School:

Q. In what way do you believe students stress themselves out more than they should?

A. Two ways come to mind immediately, one is by comparing themselves to other people instead of focusing on doing their best, comparing their grades to others in their classroom, competition at the school is severe, kids stealing each other’s credentials to look at grades. Second is unrealistic expectations,… [students think they should take] honors and AP classes, [ if you are capable] you should take them but don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Q. How would you prevent a situation from becoming overly stressful or too hard to manage?

A. Talk to someone, students usually procrastinate when they need to get help, somehow they think it will magically work it. Spending ten minutes before or after school with a teacher could fix something that a student was confused about for the 50 minutes class period. You need to get the help right away in order to stay ahead of your class.

Q. What advice would you give a student who is stressed over school work or assessments?

A. Talking to adults and trusting them, most students trust their peers over their guardians. Also, remember that you’ve been through this situation before and you shouldn’t hyperfixate on the belief that you could fail.

Q. What are some options that the school provides for students who are stressed out or overwhelmed?

A. We have our new wellness center in the library, a mindful lunch room for students who are overwhelmed with their lunch period or just in general. You could also meet with a counselor by making an appointment on the Solon High School webpage. Students have the resources they just need to use them.

Rivera, in this interview, gave his insight on the same questions, by also providing advice he has been given that has helped him through stressful times.

Solon High School has a large variety of options for students to choose how they would like to receive help in a period of distress. Students have to be the ones to desire to get help, others aren’t going to do everything for them. The best thing to do is to communicate with someone trustworthy to get you the help and advice you need.