Senior Arezoo Ghasemzadeh

Senior Arezoo Ghasemzadeh wakes up at 6 a.m. two school days a week to attend her 6:30 a.m. weightlifting class—just one of her outlets in dealing with stress. “The pressure of earning good grades, getting into a good college and meeting my parents’ expectations contributes to my stress,” she said.

One common phrase that Ghasemzadeh tells herself when she is stressed is that “everything will work out in the long run.” “As long as you put in the effort, work hard and try to cope with the stress, everything will be fine,” she said.

Often, the stress that Ghasemzadeh feels at school is carried home and can affect the way she acts around her parents. When she finds herself becoming frustrated, she is able to de-stress by communicating with them instead. “With my parents, I try talking it out with them to see how we can all go through this stressful time together,” she said.

Experiencing the most stress her senior year, she believes that she has found more ways to handle stress as the years have progressed. “Over the years I have been getting more stressed, but I’ve been getting better at learning to cope with it at the same time,” Ghasemzadeh said.

One activity she found this year to help her feel relaxed is listening to music, specifically Rhythm and Blues (R&B) music. “I usually listen to pop and happy music when I’m not stressed out, but when I’m stressed out, I listen to more mellow and relaxing music,” she said.

To the people who are stressed right now, Ghasemzadeh wants them to know that stress is a universal thing. “If you’re stressed out right now, know that you’re not going through this alone,” she said. “There are a lot of people that are going through something similar, whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. Stay safe and happy, and do the things you enjoy.”