When I was younger, the hardest challenges I faced on a daily basis were completing my multiplication tables and coloring inside the lines. As of late, I find myself remembering those times during the early hours of the morning as I attempt to complete a seemingly endless stream of homework – no times tables here, but plenty of electron configurations to go around. As expected, the workload assigned at school increases accordingly as one reaches higher grade levels. Today’s society expects this increase in responsibility of its members: the older you get, the more challenges given to you. Therefore, as adolescents on the verge of entering the world of work and higher education, teenagers are presented with a significant number of challenges, of which maintaining good grades, applying to colleges and preparing for standardized testing are just a few. Considering this along with extra-curricular activities, jobs, social issues and responsibilities at home all while trying to sleep on occasion can be an overwhelmingly stressful task for many (myself included). Take a break? While that is sometimes easier said than done, I recommend it (yes, even for my seemingly-hypocritical self).

According to the American Psychological Association’s website, the stress we feel today originates from the “fight or flight” response that kept our ancestors from being devoured by the various predators of the early ages. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a final exam or a class project that turned a stressed student into its midday snack. Yet every student will at some time in his or her life sit down and vigorously study for a test that they would rather not fail. ReachOut, a non-profit organization geared towards strengthening mental wellness in adolescents, explains on their website that many things can cause modern forms of stress. Some stressors include exams, peer pressure and bullying, excessive guilt, illness or disability and the presence of unrealistic expectations. Looking at this list, it’s easy to see why teenagers are stressed, seeing as most (if not all) of these problems can be encountered while in school. In fact, a survey taken by NPR, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health showed that about a third of students involved in the poll were said to have experienced a large amount of stress from something school-related. Though the various causes of our stress have evolved alongside us, stress itself has remained a constant presence in the lives of many people of all ages. No matter the cause, the fact remains that the more someone must do in a given day, the greater the chance that he or she will worry about how they will go about completing their tasks and whether or not something will go wrong.

In moderation, stress can be a good thing: it can cause an individual to anticipate their future problems and lessen their negative impact on his or her life or avoid them altogether. One example would be a student beginning to study for a test early to ensure that he or she knows the information properly. However, constant stress can cause significant mental, emotional, and even physical problems. ReachOut’s website cites excessive irritability, moodiness, anxiety attacks and depression or sadness as results of excessive stress. Additionally, the site states that too much stress can lead to an inability to sleep and a raised heart rate.

In times of increased stress, putting things in perspective is essential. Are you going to drop dead if you get a B- on your test? Probably not. Are you going to drop dead if you keep skipping meals and depriving yourself of sleep? Eventually, you just might. While getting good grades or making it to the playoffs may be important to you, is it really worth risking your health or your relationships with others? Know your limits, and know when to take a break. Pulling an all-nighter to study for a test only to fall asleep during said test is anything but effective. Yes, your time might be limited, but sometimes stepping back and relaxing for half an hour can increase your efficiency when you do return to your assignment, therefore helping you complete it in less time. (So long as your break does not turn into an exciting round of ‘I’ll just do it later’ that lasts the entire day; yes, procrastinators, that means you.)

So the next time you are burned out and stressed to your sanity’s limit with various responsibilities and challenges, pause for a moment and breathe. Go for a quick walk. Take a nap. Ask yourself if it’s really necessary to take thirty pages of notes for that assignment if it only asks for half of that. It might just make completing your task a little easier and a little more efficient. After all, stressing out about being stressed out… well, that’s stressful, which is the last thing any of us needs.