As early as high school, students can already feel the burn out and stress of studying, exams, projects, family responsibilities and some social issues. Imagine the level of burn out they could experience when they finally reach college. To prevent burn out that can lead to anxiety or other mental health issues, high schoolers need to learn how to manage it.
Adults have better ways to deal with stressful situations than students because adults are more experienced and understanding of what they really need. As parents and adults, we should provide advices to help them get through the stress in high school.
Encourage them to stay engage and stimulated
Students just need to find areas or activities they are engaged to or always feel stimulated. If they can’t choose what subjects or curriculum to take, they have no control over what lesson to attend to but they can always do engaging activities after class. They can sign up for art classes, sports activities, baking, and other areas they are interested to do and pursue. They just need to find the balance to avoid the burn out.
The thing is you need to find schools that practice this method. GIIS Singapore for instance, has curriculums that promote engagement by encouraging students to join extra-curricular activities they find interesting. This way, students find the balance between academics and social activities.
Schedule time to relax
Facilitate relaxation activities as a family or encourage them to go out with friends to relax and be themselves. You can set a weekly date as a family, watching movies, dining out, hiking, or video games. Spend time not talking and thinking about school stuff for a while. This way, they can relax their minds and just feel renewed that will help them start fresh for the coming week in school.
Help them set long term goals
Setting a goal is an effective way to keep track on stuff to do to meet the end goal. Ask them the ideal GPA they want to achieve at the end of school year. This should be a realistic number and won’t put pressure however it should be an ideal number that would not allow them to slack off. Slacking off could lead to burn out eventually and won’t help in any way to reach their goal.
Work with them in understanding the impact of burn out to their goals. They should set their goal early on and never let things slip at the last minute.
Teach them how to say no
Highschool is the most tempting time to sign up for every club your child’s friends are in. Tell them to say no to other invites as it’s not a smart move as a jam-packed schedule will surely contribute to a high level of stress and definitely not a good strategy for college application. Tell them to just sign up for clubs that really interest them to keep their schedules in check.
Through these tips, high school students will be able to keep burnout at bay and stay motivated throughout high school.
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