The Stress Effect
In April I had the good fortune to attend the Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition’s 11th Annual Forum on Mental Wellness. There were delegates from public health units, school boards, hospitals, mental health agencies, universities, and parent organizations — all coming together to discuss strategies on how to promote mentally healthier students and classrooms. This month I’d like to share some information I learned about a topic that affects us all – stress – in the hopes it provides you some additional understanding of how it can affect your children in school.
How Stress Works
Stress is part of everyday life, and although it is often thought of as a bad thing, we all need a certain amount of it in our lives, as it helps to keep us alert, energized, and interested in activities. Too much, however, affects our ability to function properly — due to an increased release of certain chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine.
Adrenaline is what gets our bodies ready for a quick “fight or flight” response. It increases our heart rate & blood pressure, and gives our muscles an energy boost. While this might be great if we need to flee from danger, this can result in us feeling very fidgety and distracted if trying to write a test.
Cortisol is also released and helps to access additional energy stores and raise mental alertness. However, prolonged stress can result in exhaustion, a suppressed immune system, muscle tension, and reduced concentration — all factors that stand in the way of student success.
Dopamine levels also rise, and have the effect of slowing down the part of our brain that deals with organization, planning, problem-solving, focus, reasoning, and self-control.
The Implications
Students who are stressed have a much harder time maintaining their grades. They may find their minds wander more than normal. They may be more tired and find it harder to pay attention, or subjects that were once easy have become more difficult — due to a decreased ability to problem-solve. It may also explain why some students seem to know the material when studying for a test at home, but do poorly on the actual test — perhaps the result of test anxiety. Students may also seem more impulsive than normal. If teachers start to comment, it may be worth getting curious about the potential sources of stress in your children’s lives — like over-scheduling, friendships, health, family issues, or worries about school. Remember, issues that are small to us may appear mountainous to our kids, and it is their perspectives that determine their stress levels.
While stress may be a required part of students’ learning and development, too much can be “toxic.” The key is to stay alert for the signs and teach ourselves, and our kids, strategies to help keep things in perspective, and cope and recover from difficult experiences.
