Psychology

Iris: Hello Ms. Lee! Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us today. The theme of today’s interview will mainly be about how students can deal with stress, especially during AP season or the end of a school year which is a topic I think will benefit lots of students. However, before we start the interview, can you first introduce yourself? 

Ms. Lee: I’m Ms. Lee. I am the school counselor, I am in charge of mental health counseling for students and providing education for parents and teachers, and will be supporting students in AAIA. 

Mischa: Thanks for your introduction! Our first question to begin the interview is how can students develop a positive mindset and build resilience to cope with the pressure of exams and final projects?

Ms. Lee: I believe it is quite important for high school students to have good self-knowledge when it comes to time management and self-discipline. A lot of times, students sometimes are choosing some subjects that are not familiar with or something that their parents want them to choose. I think it is quite important that self-knowledge of what they would like to study in college, and have to plan; they talk to counselors, they talk to teachers and counselors, and make their own decisions. And, I think in the Asian culture, teenagers are not, you know, normally able to make their own decisions. Yes, so I think for high schoolers, I would definitely encourage them to have self-exploration on what they like to study, and also have a plan of what they want to take in each semester, especially starting at grade 10th, when they are starting to choose their own subjects. I want them to be, uh; if they already know what they want to study in college, they have good time management skills. So, when we talk about time management skills, we’re talking about a social, uh, like a regular daily routine of when to do homework, when to do assignments, and you divide it concur. You try not to procrastinate, right? You try to utilize, uh, you know, the time that you have, like the scrap time, at school to finish, uh, you know the little assignments that you have to finish before the week ends. So, um, if you feel like to have more info of how to deal with academic pressure, you can read the book “How to Become a Straight-A Student” by Cal Newport, so. It has a lot of strategies on how to ace the exams and to reduce the stress of preparation for those AP subjects. 

Iris: That is some great advice. Can you also provide any tips on how students can create a productive and stress-reducing study environment at home or at school?

Ms. Lee: I think the student can be more organized whether it’s at home or at school, and you find a specific area for study. some of the students might go home, and study in the living room with the TV on, or with their phones on. They check on social media, they’re gonna do some talking with their friends, which is normal by anybody. I think for some of the students, if they want to feel much more, with that relaxation at home, at school, and they feel like they can experience less stress, it is important for them to block out the time and space for studying specifically. They can also seek support, they can have good time management, and also to avoid comparison with other students because they are very academic, and are always comparing their grades and performances, which I think might induce some stress in a lot of students as well. Just remember, that you have different aspirations in college, and you’ll be doing different stuff, so you don’t have to compare yourself with other people constantly. You can just focus on what you wanna do, and you want to build an application portfolio for your college, and it is important for you to focus on yourself, rather than comparing yourself to other people. 

Mischa: That makes a lot of sense. Now, what role does physical health play in managing stress, and what specific habits or routines can students adopt to maintain their well-being?

Ms. Lee: When we talk about physical health, we talk about brain health as well in grade 11th health class. If we have a balanced diet and we make sure that we do not abuse any medication, we have good sleep hygiene and sleep routine, we have the energy in school and we do not fall asleep when teachers are giving their instructions then we’ll be better to catch up with those assignments. So, it is important for us to have a regular routine, that helps us with our mentality and energy that helps us with studying in our best condition. 

Iris: Thank you for those tips. Additionally, what are some common signs of stress that students might experience during high-pressure times like AP season or the end of the school year?

Ms. Lee: For AP seasons, I think a lot of students might find they are overwhelmed, they might have a lot of assignments and dates that they cannot meet with, then they might be depressed and very anxious, and sometimes even stop working and be overwhelmed by those academic requirements by different classes. Sometimes, they might not want to eat, start giving up, and skip school. Those are the signs that they’re burnt out, that they are pushing themselves into the exhaustion stage of stress development. They are burning the midnight oil, and doing everything they can, but actually they are not being able to meet the deadline, and they are not able to review all the AP exams. That brings up an important question: are they planning their time well? Are they notified that they’re making the decision of taking, for example, AP Chemistry, and can they handle that? For every AP, according to research, you must study at least three hours per week. If they are not spending enough time on reading and research, they will need to sacrifice more time on studying before the AP exams. 

Mischa: Those are important signs to watch for. What should students do if they feel overwhelmed or anxious despite using stress management techniques? When is it important to seek professional help?

Ms. Lee: If they feel overwhelmed or envious, you can always do deep breathing meditations. You can always do meditations on YouTube videos, and maybe follow them. We did in 11th-grade health class. It’s just that you need to do something that can calm your nerves down, if you feel you have a lot of preparations, you have a rising heart rate, or you are feeling overwhelmed, that means you need a break. Tell the teacher that you need a ten-minute break, take a walk to the bathroom splash some water on your face, and kinda walk around, talk to somebody, or listen to a song. Do anything that can calm you down in ten minutes, just ten minutes, and then you can go back to the stressful class. But always know, that you don’t have to push yourself to the edge, you can always ask for a pass and to take a rest. 

Iris: Once again, thank you so much for all this valuable information. I am sure it will be very helpful for many students.

Ms. Lee: Thank you

Mischa: Thank you again for your time and insights, and that concludes today’s interview.