High school students have many opportunities to challenge themselves, whether it’s honors or AP courses, sports, clubs, or other activities or hobbies outside of school.

While it is important for students to get involved and challenge themselves, some students are starting to feel overwhelmed with all the pressure and expectations that are expected of them, which begs the question: How much involvement is too much involvement?

Most honors students have adapted to the amount of work that is assigned to them, but students still have responsibilities and priorities they have to attend to before they do hours of school work.

“I mean usually, once I get home, I might spend up to like 2, 3, maybe even 4 hours on homework,” junior Miles Wick said.

Upperclassmen, especially, feel overwhelmed with current school work and planning for the future.

Filling out college applications, completing homework, and being in extracurricular activities, sports, or jobs can leave students feeling overwhelmed and burned out.

“When I’m feeling burn[ed] out or just stressed, I use coping skills, like breathing when I get super anxious,” senior DeAndre Westbrook said.

Those who are involved heavily in clubs sometimes have a difficult time juggling their responsibilities.

Constantly being stressed and overwhelmed can lead to ongoing mental health issues and stresses.

“I think overworking yourself very much negatively affects mental health because you’re stretching yourself too thin and you’re not giving yourself enough credit for all the things you do,” Westbrook said.

With being constantly overwhelmed with homework, clubs, and sports, students rarely take the time to reward themselves for all the hard work they put in.

“I do that a lot, in my head I just think it’s for a better cause at the end of the day. Sometimes you just have to stop and take care of yourself,” Westbrook said.

Having limits and holding yourself accountable to those limits are healthy and reliable ways to balance school life and home life.

“I’m getting closer to learning my limit. I know it’s still going to take probably a few years, most likely until college, but I’ve gotten a lot better at limiting myself,” Westbrook said.

Reaching out to teachers for help is always encouraged.

By students setting limits for themselves now, they will be more equipped for the future and whatever challenges may arise.

High school can be overwhelming and stressful for some, but by using the right tools and coping skills, it can be an enjoyable and memorable time.