Senior Capstone ℅ 2018

5-24-20118

The Effects of Mental Health on Students: An Autoethnography

Celeste Mier
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, cmier101466@laleadership.org
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THE EFFECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH ON STUDENTS

Abstract
From examining stress dysregulation, physical and psychological changes and the pressure of students’ everyday
lives, it is clear that schools should also be concerned with mental health while also finding ways to help relieve
stress on students.

Keywords
Stress dysregulation, psychological, mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, coping,

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to :
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THE EFFECTS OF MENTAL HEALTH ON STUDENTS: An

Autoethnography

Celeste Mier
Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, USA

From examining stress dysregulation, physical and psychological changes and the pressure of students’ everyday
lives, it is clear that schools should also be concerned with mental health while also finding ways to help relieve stress on
students.

The Incident

Author's note: This is a piece from my journal, therefore I am not writing about a specific day but I am

allowing you to enter my thoughts of that day.

32 November 2017

Growing up I have struggled with stress, anxiety, and depression for many years therefore it

has been something I have become accustomed to. It wasn't until my senior year that I realized the

importance of finding different methods of coping. For me personally, I found that being active in a

competitive sport helps me break free from myself. I was very athletic and playing was more than

just a game on a field or court. It is a way to escape from who I think I am. Most of the time it feels

like I am stuck in my own body; as if my eyes were the camera and I, the helpless spectator that sits

on the other side of the screen as all my fears wrap tightly around me like a heavy blanket. Only

when I am out on the field or court do I feel like I am in control of my thoughts and feelings. The
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sense of relief you feel as you stand on a open field, feeling the sun on your skin, and the wind run

threw a sweaty jersey, I could feel the air pushing my thought and fears toward the bottomless depth

of my mind. It feels like opening a car window for the first time while the blazing sun shines down

on the black car. My anxiety has dug so deep into my life that my dad once told me after I tried to

explain to him what it is; “You're screwed if that’s how you live your life” he goes on to tell me that

it's like a wall in my head and that I need to break down the wall. I did somewhat agree to what my

dad had to say although I never saw anxiety as a wall; it always felt more like a small cage with no

personal space. People have good and bad days and that is a part of life that everyone has

experienced. Therefore it is healthy to break away from the stress and anxiety once and awhile to

reconnect with yourself. Sports was my way of reconnecting with myself. I worked hard to get my

grades up in hope that they would let me play; but ever since I sat on the semi-comfortable chair in

the vice principal’s office, and they told me that I was not allowed to play because my grades were

improving and being a student comes first. I tried so hard to explain to them that it was more than

just playing a sport. I tried to tell them that it was my way of releasing all the built up stress and

anxiety that I forcefully hide to keep an appearance. I went in confidently with my head held high

but quickly ended in tears and basically begging for one more chance. My throat tightened as I felt

my anxiety rush to pull me back behind the TV screen. Now I am stuck behind the screen with my

thoughts and my fears.

Analysis

Introduction
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“Adolescence is a stressful period due to the physical, psychological, sexual changes, and the

presence of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress at this stage of life” (Indian J

Community Med., 2017). Indian J Community Med. (2017), studied the presence of depression,

anxiety, and stress in high schools by different variables such as gender, standards and religion. Many

students are stressed with multiple factors in their life due to some of the previous examples. Mental

health can affect students academic success.

★ Prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms

Study of Focus

What effect does mental health have on a students academic success? Educators would spend

so much time with students, in and out of the classroom, that they are unable to provide valuable

help in identifying students that exhibit behaviors such as hair trigger anger, inability to self-regulate

or calm themselves, sudden withdrawal from learning and social interaction due to stress or anxiety.

It is important to understand why and how this affects students because schools continuously

pressure students into succeeding and sometimes that pressure is overwhelming.

Claim #1
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Dr. Daniel P. Kealing states, “Stress dysregulation” (SDR) is a common consequence of early

hardships. Many students who are battling stress have more of a difficult time coping with multiple

obstacles that prevent them from being in a positive learning environment mentally.

even without a diagnosis exhibit behaviors – such as hair trigger anger, inability to self-regulate or

calm themselves, sudden withdrawal from learning and social interaction – that affect not only

themselves but everyone surrounding them. It acts as a silent disruptor in the classroom and in

school life generally.” This generally means that stress can play a big part in learning and social

interactions causing students to not have the type of motivation needed to succeed in their social

and academic life.

Claim #2

In the Huffington Post, Susan Stiffelman, author of “Parenting Without Power Struggles”,

refers to stress as fear. She goes on to tell that “Fear is a powerful motivator, but it also creates and

generates tremendous amounts of stress.”

Fear of failure is all emotions that drives people to want to do better and work hard, but also could

create a copious amount of stress more generally in high school and college student. (Huffington,

2014) Stiffelman, a psychotherapist, created 5 tips to cope with stress. She emphasizes how

important it is for students to self-care. Whether that be eating healthy or sleeping more than they

usually sleep. She also suggest that taking a break once and awhile would be good to help students

reconnect with their creative side. (Huffington, 2014) She continues to state that “All stress is

precipitated by stressful thinking”. This means that student must change how they think and fight

the negativity that c ome with some situations.(Huffington, 2014). Stiffelman then suggests making
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a list of all of the issues that are faced in everyday life and create a time table of how long it will take

to complete assignments (Huffington, 2014). Surprisingly, one of her tips would be to lower students

goals. Not in the sense that students start to slack but that student should give themselves reachable

goals to not feel overwhelmed.(Huffington, 2014) .Her final tip is to stay balanced during exams and

projects. She urges students to realizes the importance of the exams as well as the resting portion. It

is better to not be overwhelmed by just work and learn how to balance the both. (Huffington, 2014)

Claim #3

“The main question for parents, therapist, and scholars are whether or not helping anxious

teenagers would mean protecting them or pushing them to face their fears” (Denizet-Lewis, 2017).

Philip Kendall, director of the Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Temple University

in Philadelphia explains “ Anxiety is easy to dismiss or overlook, partially because everyone has it to

some degree”. Throughout this article there are multiple stories about different students that have

been through similar situations. “In 1985, the Higher Education Research Institute at U.C.L.A. began

asking incoming college freshmen if they “ felt overwhelmed by all they had to do” during the

previous year. In 1985, 18 percent said they did. By 2010, that number had increased to 29 percent.

Last year, it surged to 41 percent.” (Denizet-Lewis, 2017)

Opinion

It is clear that mental health plays a big part in achieving academic success
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References

Kumar, K. S.,& Akoijam B. S., (2017) Depression, anxiety and stress among higher secondary

school students of Imphal, Manipur. Indian J Community Med;42:94-6

http://www.ijcm.org.in/article.asp?issn=0970-

0218;year=2017;volume=42;issue=2;spage=94;epage=96;aulast=Kumar

Dealing with Stress at School in an Age of Anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stressful-lives/201708/dealing-stress-school-in-age-

anxiety

Denizet-lewis, B. (2017, October 11). Why Are More American Teenagers Than Ever Suffering

From Severe Anxiety? Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/magazine/why-

are-more-american-teenagers-than-ever-suffering-from-severe-anxiety.html

O. (2014, August 20). 5 Ways To Cope With School Stress. Retrieved from

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/27/academic-pressure-5-tips-_n_2774106.html

Teenage Anxiety a Rapidly Growing Mental Health Concern. (2017, October 31). Retrieved

from http://www.westernyouthservices.org/teenage-anxiety/

https://www.nmu.edu/education/sites/DrupalEducation/files/UserFiles/Dobson_Cassie_MP.p
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