Why Do Students Feel Overwhelmed?

With summer vacation coming to an end, middle and high school students face the challenge of settling back into their school routines and studies. But the question is: why do schools and colleges become boring or stressful for students? The answer is not fatigue after spending the entire day at school; it's the after-school routine that becomes immensely hard for students to manage. Teenagers especially have a hard time with their schools, colleges, tuitions, and workload. The constant pressure can leave many students emotionally exhausted, increasing stress, anxiety, burnout, mood swings, and, in some cases, contributing to depression.

When Parents Become Another Source of Pressure

The situation is worsened when their parents fail to understand the condition of their child. They demand an A+ or an A and nothing below, binding the student in a mess of grades, exams, and fear of low expectations. They do not understand that their child needs emotional support far more than they could imagine. If they are not working to get the morale of their child high, how could they expect him/her to achieve success? It's not a race where contestants are only defined by their positions; it's the mental health of the child that is at stake. Society has made it a norm to force everyone to mold according to their satisfaction, but is it really that necessary to go round in circles? Why can't students think creatively and do as their minds guide them? Why are they not allowed to choose the field they want? Why do parents refrain from breaking the circle?

Academic pressure does not exist in isolation. It often begins at school but grows much larger at home, where expectations about grades eventually turn into expectations about careers. For many students, the fear of disappointing their families becomes even heavier than the fear of exams themselves.

 The Pressure to Choose "Respectable" Careers

For years, especially in South Asian households, there has been a belief that their children can only be successful if they get a doctorate or become an engineer, have a Master's in Computer Science, or at least have an IT Graduation degree. In reality, success is far more diverse than many people believe. The idea of "Only the students who get degrees in those fields get success" is absolutely ridiculous. Binding students and then having the audacity to lecture them about societal norms is what that makes the situation worse.

Why Talents Deserve Equal Respect

Talent is naturally ignored, whether it is in music, art, or cooking; in South Asia, especially in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, parents and society have made it a deeply ingrained expectation that anything that is out of those specific fields shall be considered a co-curricular activity, and they are not to be pursued as a career. Speaking of co-curricular activities, sports games such as football, tennis, cricket, and many such activities are strictly considered outdoor games only, and they're also not to be considered as a career.

Success Isn't Defined by One Profession

With all these rules, it becomes hard for a student to pursue his/her favorite field. Success can never be confined to specific professions or fields; it is earned through hard work. So, instead of pressurizing students to get good grades so they can have admission in high-ranking universities, we should start promoting their interests and talents. Maybe, with the emotional support of parents as a backup, students may do well in their lives.