The Most Common 7 Sources of School Stress

Stress occurs when people feel unable to cope with external demands or pressures - in the family, at work, at school, etc.

Today we will tell you about the peculiarities of school stress, and in the next article, we will continue with some suggestions on how to deal with these conditions during school assessments.

In general, school stress is manifested by an imbalance between the demands imposed by learning and the student's subjective or objective abilities to cope. All these can be categorized as having 7 sources:

1. Unfavorable physical environment

(lighting, temperature, smell, humidity, noise)

2. The social environment of the learning process:

• interpersonal and family conflicts;

• conflicts with classmates, with the teacher;

• isolation in the learning collective;

• temporary teachers;

• scoring policy, penalties, prizes.

3. Character and organization of the learning process:

• homework volume (under or overworked),

• the pace of the activity,

• changing the learning schedule,

• excessive control and/or rigid rules,

• task ambiguity,

• level of responsibility,

• shift learning.

4. Changing the place of learning

(migration, expulsion, reprimand, graduation)

5. Personal factors:

• the feeling of inferiority, of incompetence;

• increased emotion;

• high anxiety;

• fear of teachers, of colleagues;

• low tolerance to frustration;

• the feeling of insecurity.

6. Competitive factors:

(competitions, Olympics, exams)

7. Family environment::

Exaggerated parental requirements and overworked extracurricular activities. Today it is fashionable for parents to give their child at least 4–5 extracurricular activities (a competition between parents whose offspring are smarter). 2 such activities are recommended, so as not to overload the child's nervous system.

Lack of free time can become a powerful source of stress for children: both the body and the mind need breaks, they need to "stay relaxed" and waste time on alms.

Changes in the family (moving to another city, the appearance of a new sibling, quarrels between parents, divorce of parents, death of a close person).

Stress has certain symptoms - physical, emotional, intellectual changes, etc., can indicate a state of stress. If any of these symptoms occur over a longer period, support is needed.

Symptomatic manifestations of stress in children

Physical Symptoms:

• Fatigue

• Frequent headaches

• Increases or decreases appetite

• stomach ache

• Insomnia, nightmares

• Difficulty breathing

• Pulse increase, sweating,

• Feeling dry in the mouth or shaking

• Common colds or other minor infections

Emotional Symptoms:

• Emotional outbursts - irritability, nervousness

• Tension

• Fear; Panic

• Frequent upsets

• Lack of enthusiasm

• Lack of motivation

• Feeling guilty

Underestimation, loss of self-confidence

• Cognitive Symptoms:

• Concentration problems

• Memory difficulties

• Decreases the ability to organize and plan

• Decreases school success

• Thoughts that his life is not dear to him

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Apathy; Passivity

• Disinterest in school activities

• Lack of desire to socialize

• Isolation

• Aggressivity; Negativism

Stress can become a problem for any age as long as we are exposed to it for a long time. The role of the parent is to ensure a safe environment conducive to the child's development and to help the child overcome these conditions.

First aid in case of acute stress

1. Wash with cold water. Drink water or juice.
2. Locate the tense muscles in your body and relax them. Shake your arms, hands, feet.
3. Advise him to clench his fist for 10 seconds, then shake it.
4. Learn him to breathe properly during stress - slow inhalation through the nose, direct air into the abdomen and slow exhalation as if moaning.
5. Transfer the mental tension to the muscular one - urge him to run and shake his hands.
6. Massage your body - from head to toe - rub, pinch your arms, legs, body, neck.
7. Massage your face and head. Massage the muscles of joy, which are located on the upper cheeks.
8. Focus on a foreign object - it can be a shiny ball that you can focus on or a simple trinket. Look at them carefully. Find something new in them.
9. Include soothing music that you prefer. Focus on positive emotions.
10. Tell her to close her eyes and imagine a quiet place where she felt good and comfortable. This is the place that psychologists call the "safe place where resources are restored." Encourage him to stay there for a few minutes.