Stress, Social Media, and Depression

The Life of an Average Teen

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The North High student body can be described in one word: troubled. From freshmen to seniors, everyone has problems. Addiction, stress, and depression are just a few of life’s difficulties. In order to truly understand the student population at North High, ten of them were interviewed about their experiences with stress from school and social media addiction. The seniors of the group were specifically asked about their dealings regarding depression, but more on that later. Let’s begin with how the education system causes stress every day for everybody.

Many people don’t realize how stressed they are until they have a nervous breakdown. Signs of stress are easy to spot but are often forgotten about. One of them is being inhibited from being yourself. Half of the interviewees felt as though they had to be due to their personal insecurities and who they are surrounded by. If they were around close friends, for example, then they would have no problem with being themselves. Another sign of stress is becoming irritable easily. The majority of the interviewed said that it depends. There are too many variables that can influence your behavior. Sam Moore, a recent senior, claimed that her attitude “depends on the situation.” Insomnia is a big factor in how stressed someone can be. Jacqueline Kent-Morrison, a sassy gal, explained her situation as follows, “I tend to think a lot before I sleep and have a hard time relaxing.” Jacqueline will be pleased to know that she is not alone. Overthinking, also known as overanalyzing, is very common among teenagers. Even worse, they usually cannot take part in the things they like to do. This can cause people to become overemotional or melodramatic. Similar to being apprehensive, half of the students felt that they could be. Although, each of their answers was related back to their personalities. Their daily behavior justifies whether they are melodramatic. Lastly, they were asked directly if they felt stressed. Almost all of the students said that they felt like they were extremely stressed out! Interestingly enough, each of them blamed it on schoolwork; along with what was happening in their personal lives.

Schoolwork takes up the majority, if not all, of a student’s time. AP and CIS classes, weekly quizzes, daily assignments, nonstop essays. Everything adds up, leaving no time to address feelings of being overwhelmed. One way of combatting this feeling is increased organization. A planner, perhaps! Keeping track of when school items are due acts as both a reminder and a relief from stress. However, organization is not for everyone. Finding time for yourself and doing something you enjoy can be very helpful against stress. Whether that is hanging out with friends, spending time with loved ones, listening to music, or experiencing ASMR; there is something for everyone. Although, I would like to note that the use of marijuana and alcohol as a form of a stress reliever is illegal. Medical marijuana is an option for adults who truly need it. Partaking in these substances will only add more stress to the lives of students.

Another way to cope with stress is trying to forget about it entirely. Using social media is the perfect method of distraction for the majority of teenagers. Although, if a student’s stress is increased then they may go on social media more frequently. Their usage could continue to rise until they are fully dependent on their phone. This is where addiction comes into play. An innocent pastime can turn into a concerning hobby in a matter of months, even weeks in some cases. North Senior High is no different. Some of the students interviewed check their phones twenty to sixty times during one class period! It appears as though North High has a problem with addiction.

Social media addiction is more common in teenagers than people think. It is usually seen as a joke and ignored. Half of the interviewees believe that they are in control of their phone habits while the other half realize their struggle. Abby Westling, in particular, related her addiction to her phone back to social media directly. SnapChat and Facebook were the most mentioned when asked about addicting applications. Their use is primarily for keeping in contact with friends. However, except for a few people, everyone interviewed felt isolated in their daily lives, regardless of how often they checked their phone or used their apps. FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, has become extremely prevalent in the lives of teens everywhere. Perhaps this is a reflection of the entire North Senior High student body. Some people, like Dalena Nguyen, “don’t care.” She reveals, “Honestly, I already know (that) I miss stuff in life already.” On the other hand, Kim Nguyen explains, “When I see my friends post something that I wasn’t there for, I feel like it was fun that I missed out on.” Megan Kobow shines a light on why she still uses social media apps even if they cause her pain. She claims, “They keep me from going crazy from boredom. Also, it keeps me from being stuck in my head and helps me focus on other things.” Social media acts as a distraction from the troubles of the lives of teens.

Similarly, it is no wonder how teens become so addicted to social media. This distraction takes over the entirety of their lives! If teens never talk about their emotions or openly address them, then their feelings will be shoved down inside themselves. Although, if the only platform they have to share their issues on is social media, then everything makes sense. Their thirst for happiness can only be quenched by what is on their phone. Their desire grows more and more every day, every hour until they cannot have one moment without their phone.

Naturally, not every teen deals with social media addiction. It would be unfair and unrealistic to generalize about anything in life, but this is an issue that needs to be addressed at North High. Many people rely on their phones for friends, schoolwork, information, etc. Ask yourself how long you could survive without your phone. Maybe try putting it to the test!

Speaking of tests, the importance of schoolwork grows immensely during a student’s senior year of high school. Applying to colleges and filling out scholarship forms adds much more stress to the life of the average high schooler! This increased responsibility affects students in a variety of ways. Oddly enough, a recent phenomenon has been popping up in high schools across the United States. It is called Senior Year Depression or sometimes, Senior Sadness. Students experiencing this curiosity feel an intense wave of unhappiness and anxiety during their senior year of high school. This is believed to be caused by their worries about their lives after high school or other similar topics.

On average, the seniors interviewed claimed to cry at least three times in the same week. The majority of them said that they have been feeling more depressed during their last year of high school. Aaron Michel said that this increased emotion was “because of a lack of sleep and stress.” Sam Moore revealed that her “anxiety was every day.” Many of these teens feel stressed and anxious due to their schoolwork and personal lives. Also, some students expressed higher levels of insecurity as well. Megan Kobow believed that “negative self-esteem” played a role in this problem.

In addition, Jacqueline Kent-Morrison blamed her own “personal problems” regarding this emotional epidemic. “Failure and loneliness” terrified her. She explained, “I feel a lot of pressure to be the best at what I will do. I’m scared that I won’t be.” Chronophobia or having a fear of the future was mentioned in every interview completed. Chris Martin connected this fear to his worries about his generation. “Uncertainty” is what keeps Aaron Michel up at night. He clarified, “You have no idea what is actually going to happen until it happens.” Abby Westling took a different approach. She is afraid of “not being successful in life and not having everything to support (herself).”

However, every interviewed senior said that their school year has been going “pretty well.” They use various methods to cheer themselves up. Some “listen to music or play video games” like Chris Martin. Others “talk with friends or watch funny videos” such as Sam Moore. Thinking about loved ones is one of Aaron Michel’s favorite pastimes. Kim Nguyen prefers to play board games whenever she feels down. Hanging out with friends and family is perfect for everyone.

Whether it is an addiction to your cell phone and social media, increased stress from or unusual levels of depression, everybody has a struggle in life. The good news is that everyone can overcome anything and everything if they set their mind to it. If they make an effort to better their individual situations, then things are bound to be nicer than before. Never stop trying to be happy.