The Most Vulnerable Season of All

It’s that time of year. And no, I’m not talking about the holiday season. I am talking about high school burnout and its real effects on students everywhere, including at Indian Springs. During the holiday season, students begin to experience stress levels that rise to 80% in comparison to the often better-maintained levels during the regular school year (Farina et. all). Students are put under immense stress because of midterm papers and academic studies as well as the holiday strain that can be associated with the coming season. In a study conducted by Frontieres in Psychology, 989 students, ages 14-19, were surveyed for an analysis of different factors such as “measures of school burnout, empathic skills (both cognitive and affective), and satisfaction with school relationships (peers and teachers)”(Farina et. all). The results of the study showed that “empathic skills were associated with both satisfaction about school relationships and school burnout” (Farina et. all). During the holiday season, these factors predominantly increase school burnout and school relationships if they are not meeting students’ expectations and standards. Academic and curricular expectations for students increase tremendously during the holidays which often leads to seasonal depression and is often associated with the sense of loneliness or isolation. 

Specifically at Indian Springs, it can be difficult to not get burnt out and overwhelmed with your course load and other aspects in your life but it is really important to take time to relieve yourself from all of the things that might be stressing you out. Springs is a community that holds you to high academic standards but also is there for you if you are feeling stressed out, tired, and even unmotivated. The workload around this time of year increases and it can often be difficult to keep up with your studies but push onward, holiday break is around the corner.

Works Cited

Farina E, Ornaghi V, Pepe A, Fiorilli C and Grazzani I (2020) High School Student Burnout: 

Is Empathy a Protective or Risk Factor? Front. Psychol. 11:897. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00897