Work, Sleep, Eat, Repeat
In 2016, the mental health of teenagers is at an all time low. There are many causes for this. There is so much pressure put on a teenager in this society that they are beginning to reach a breaking point. The pressure to do well in everything is almost too much. Teachers, parents and bosses are putting too much stress, pressure, and work on high school students.
Teens learn that they must be happy. They must excel in academics, sports and their social lives, and if they don’t we are looked down upon. If they don’t have enough money to get the clothes, shoes or makeup that is popular they are looked down on. So, teens have to get jobs. If these teens aren’t able to stay up to date in school, they are assigned academic overtimes, which the teachers claim are for the student’s benefit, but really they are just cramming it in that day in order to get out of going. If a student has anxiety, they have to speak in front of the class anyways because they are told they need to “face our fears.”
The workload that is piled on high school students so high that at times it feels impossible or unrealistic. Depression makes it hard to even function on a normal day and when people with depression see that workload, they can feel themselves falling further into a hole and feel like they are helpless and cannot get out. Depression can be very debilitating, making it physically and mentally hard to do anything that takes any effort on the part of the person. On the national Teen Mental Health Website they explain this, “A mental illness makes the things you do in life hard, like: work, school and socializing with other people.” They cannot explain this sensation and they know that teachers, parents, and bosses will not take this as an excuse as to why their work is not getting done. These people may think that they need a boost to “get their butts in gear”. In reality, it just hurts more for the people with depression; they are trying to fight a battle within themselves and are told they must take on this massive workload at the same time.
In a contest ran by the New York Times, a young girl named Emma Rodriguez tells her story in which she says, “I have had serious problems accepting help and accepting that depression is a part of me, partly because society will not treat me as if I am normal.” Rodriguez tells of her personal experience with depression. She is only 14 and already feels as though she will be considered an outcast if people knew. People who deal with depression do not want to tell their teachers or classmates because they feel as though that will be portrayed as them giving up. They know they are slipping into a hole, but part of the accomplishment of overcoming that is being able to do it on their own.
However, depression isn’t the only issue that these high school students face. They are becoming sleep deprived and physically exhausted. Many students go to school, straight to a sports practice or game, then home to cram in homework, dinner, a shower, and chores, hoping to get to bed by 1 in the morning. Some kids even hold a job, so they have to fit that in somewhere as well. This can be very draining and even cause health issues. As shown on the Healthline website, sleep deprivation can cause memory problems, moodiness, hallucinations, cold and flu, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease and even depression.
For a girl, it is even harder to be a high school students. The stereotype is that girls are always smarter, so if they aren’t in advanced classes something must be wrong with them. Girls are told that they must cover their bodies in order to keep from distracting the boys learning, but what about distracting their learning? Females are pulled from the hallways for various dress code violations and must wait there or go home until they have changed and can return to class.
This generation is facing problems that were not as big of a problem before, and without the help of teachers, administration, and parents, it will not be overcome anytime soon.
