High school students do not know how to cope with stress. This much is blatantly obvious through the occasional crying and constant breakdowns throughout the halls. But why is this? It is evident throughout history that workload has increased with knowledge and technology, but why haven’t  our emotional coping mechanisms?

Students nowadays have close to the same stress levels as patients in asylums from the 1950s, and this is not okay. Sometimes having someone to talk to is not good enough when it comes to coping with yourself. Students must have access to spaces away from everyone else to get back on their feet during the school day. I have known plenty of people to have anxiety or panic attacks during school and no way to recover for upcoming classes. Would a solitary space fix this? Not necessarily. But it is a step in the right direction. One of the best ways to get over these kinds of things is to be in an area that allows you to relax and recoup. Another positive effort would be the inclusion of therapy dogs throughout the school. Therapy animals have been known to drop stress levels significantly, and so long as there are no major allergies in certain rooms could help with coping. Not only would they reduce stress, they may also raise test scores as a result of this.

When it comes down to it, if schools continue this pattern, it could be catastrophic for its kids. If stress levels continue to rise and the coping mechanisms stay at a standstill, the results could be disastrous. Schools should consider their options in helping students with coping mechanisms. Small changes could have large results.