Students at Bellevue East High School are taking AP and advanced classes with the participation of extracurricular activities. This is causing many to be overworked and overstressed. 

According to College Board the class of 2023 had almost 1.2 million students enrolled in AP classes and took the AP exam. These students may feel the need to achieve at various things including academics, sports, extracurricular activities, etc. Excelling at all of these things may be rewarding at the end, but during the process mental health may cause some hardships. 

“Students maybe have a real strong will to succeed or desire to do well, so there’s those internal pressures that happen because of that,” counselor Michael Chudomelka said. 

Students may have several different ways of coping with the stress of academics. Many students take extended breaks to take time to relieve the stress, and come back to the assignment later. 

“If I’m in the middle of class and I get a headache or anything because I’m working hard, I’ll take a break but I don’t usually take breaks until I get my assignments done and when I get the assignment done, then I take a break,” sophomore Audrey Sloan said.

Some students prefer to not procrastinate, as others may have that as their only option considering their immense workload. Procrastination and a decrease in motivation may result in students feeling even more stress and not being prepared for a test or missing a due date for an assignment.According to ISMINC, the Independent School Management, procrastination leads to anxiety, which leads to decreasing grades, absences from school, and also having a hard time focusing in class.  

“There have been times when it is really hard to stay on top of homework or study for an upcoming test, but I know that I have to push through and once it’s over, I’ll be happier,” junior Mariah Blaha said. 

It is vital for teachers to be aware of their students’ mental health. According to SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the educational system needs to build a support system for students who struggle with mental health illnesses.

“I think just recognizing it for one, I know that we have conversations with students and teachers quite a bit,” Chudomelka said.

High school students may feel a “slump” of motivation towards the end of the school year, meaning it is more difficult to achieve these academic goals without feeling tired or unmotivated. Mental health is a contributing factor of the “slump”. According to ISMINC, students’ lives are challenged by mental health barriers in all aspects everyday. 

“My mental health didn’t really affect my academic performance in the first semester, but in the second semester, I tend to get tired and I don’t perform as well,” Sloan said.

Many students end up facing severe side effects if they dont take care of their mental health. According to SAMHSA, untreated mental health illnesses may lead to thoughts or actions of self-harm or other extreme cases, such as death.

“If you don’t [take your mental health seriously], and you keep on pushing it off the you’ll just end up being completely drained and you won’t be able to focus on anything else other than getting better and trying to get back to a healthy mental state,” Blaha said.