watch this if you're stressed about school

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their high school experience of taking challenging classes and offers five tips to manage stress and burnout. They emphasize the normalcy of stress, the importance of contextualizing grades, focusing on effort over outcomes, utilizing effective study tools, finding short-term and long-term outlets for relaxation, and the value of talking out stress with others. The video aims to help students maintain a healthy balance while pursuing academic excellence.

Takeaways

• 📚 Embrace stress: Recognize that a moderate level of stress can be healthy and motivating, rather than aiming to eliminate all stress.
• 📈 Understand the stress curve: There are three levels of stress - low (calm), optimal (alert and motivated), and high (overwhelmed). Aim for the optimal level.
• 🔍 Contextualize grades: Don't let a single low grade define your self-worth; consider the bigger picture and how it fits into your overall academic performance.
• 🎯 Focus on inputs, not outputs: Concentrate on controllable factors like study time and asking for help, rather than fixating on grades or outcomes.
• 🏆 Take pride in effort: Regardless of the grade, be proud of the work you put in and the effort you made, as this is a true measure of success.
• 🤖 Utilize study tools: Use resources like Brilliant.org for interactive and engaging learning experiences that can make studying more enjoyable.
• 🚴‍♂️ Find outlets for stress: Develop both short-term (like breaks during study sessions) and long-term (like weekend activities) stress relief methods.
• 🔋 Recharge your energy: Acknowledge that you have finite energy and find moments to rest and rejuvenate to maintain productivity.
• 🗣️ Talk it out: Share your feelings with trusted friends or family to gain perspective, empathy, and possibly advice on academic challenges.
• 👥 Join a community: Engage with others in similar situations, like through a Discord server, to find support and share experiences.
• 🌟 Normalize imperfection: Accept that even top students experience stress and low grades, and that these are normal parts of the learning process.

Q & A

What was the speaker's high school strategy regarding class difficulty?

The speaker took on the hardest classes possible, increasing the number of AP classes each year, from two in sophomore year to five in senior year.

Why might students choose to take the hardest classes available?

Students may choose to take the hardest classes to stand out to top colleges and challenge themselves.

What is the 'stress curve' mentioned in the transcript?

The stress curve illustrates three levels of stress: low stress (calm and relaxed), eustress (healthy stress that motivates), and distress (overwhelming and potentially burnout-inducing).

Why is it important to accept stress as a normal part of student life?

Accepting stress as normal helps students understand that feeling stressed is a part of being a student and not a sign of weakness or incapability.

What does the speaker suggest students do when they receive a low grade?

The speaker suggests contextualizing the grade, understanding that occasional low grades are inevitable, and not letting them affect self-image or perceived intelligence.

How can students contextualize a low grade in their academic performance?

Students can contextualize a low grade by considering the type of assignment it was (e.g., a midterm or a class assignment) and how it fits into the broader picture of their semester.

What is the advice given for students regarding focusing on 'inputs' rather than 'outputs'?

The advice is to focus on controllable factors like study time, creating a study schedule, and seeking help when needed, rather than obsessing over grades or outcomes.

Why is it beneficial for students to take pride in the effort they put into their work?

Taking pride in effort helps mitigate the stress of receiving a lower grade and promotes a sense of accomplishment regardless of the outcome.

What is the role of 'brilliant.org' as mentioned in the transcript?

Brilliant.org is a sponsor of the video that offers interactive Math and Science lessons, making learning fun and adaptive to the user's pace and learning needs.

What are the two types of outlets suggested for students to alleviate stress?

The two types of outlets are short-term outlets, like taking breaks during study sessions, and long-term outlets, like weekend activities or hobbies.

Why is it important for students to find ways to recharge and re-energize?

Recharging and re-energizing are important because students have finite energy, and finding moments to relax helps maintain a balance and prevent burnout.

What is the final tip given for dealing with stress and burnout in the transcript?

The final tip is to 'talk it out,' suggesting that discussing feelings and challenges with trusted individuals can provide empathy, understanding, and potentially advice.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Embracing Stress in Academic Pursuits

The speaker begins by sharing their high school experience of taking on challenging courses, which led to significant stress. They commend students for pushing themselves academically but also offer five tips to manage stress and burnout. The first tip is to accept that stress is a normal part of the learning process and to understand the 'stress curve', which illustrates the balance between low stress, optimal stress, and distress. The speaker emphasizes the importance of aiming for 'eustress', a healthy level of stress that can motivate and alert students, rather than striving for zero stress.

05:00

🔍 Contextualizing Grades and Embracing Imperfection

In the second paragraph, the speaker discusses the importance of contextualizing grades and not letting a single low score define one's self-worth or academic ability. They suggest that students should view grades in the broader scope of their academic journey, understanding that occasional low grades are inevitable and do not reflect overall intelligence or capability. The speaker encourages students to develop the skill of stepping back and seeing the bigger picture, which can greatly alleviate stress. They also introduce the third tip: focusing on inputs rather than outputs, meaning that students should concentrate on the effort they put into studying and let go of the outcomes, such as grades, which they cannot control.

Keywords

💡Stress

Stress, in the context of the video, refers to the psychological and emotional strain felt by students due to the demands and pressures of their academic workload. It is a central theme of the video, as the speaker discusses the importance of recognizing and managing stress levels to prevent burnout. The speaker introduces the 'stress curve' to illustrate the different levels of stress and their impacts on motivation and well-being.

💡AP Classes

AP, short for Advanced Placement, refers to a set of rigorous courses and exams offered by the College Board to high school students. In the video, the speaker mentions taking multiple AP classes as part of their high school experience, which contributed to their stress levels. The video's theme revolves around the challenges of taking such demanding courses and the coping strategies for the stress they can cause.

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic stress characterized by emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. The term is used in the video to describe the potential consequence of excessive academic pressure, particularly when students take on too many difficult classes without adequate stress management. The speaker provides tips to prevent burnout by maintaining a balance between academic rigor and personal well-being.

💡Motivation

Motivation is the drive or desire to achieve a goal or complete a task. The video script discusses the 'stress curve' and how a moderate level of stress, or 'eustress,' can be beneficial in providing motivation for students to engage with their schoolwork. The speaker emphasizes that complete absence of stress is neither desirable nor realistic for maintaining motivation.

💡Contextualize

To contextualize means to consider something in relation to its surrounding circumstances. In the video, the speaker advises students to contextualize their grades and academic performance, recognizing that a single low grade does not define their overall ability or potential. This concept is integral to managing stress and maintaining a healthy perspective on academic challenges.

💡Inputs and Outputs

The terms 'inputs' and 'outputs' are used in the video to differentiate between the aspects of academic performance that students can control (inputs, such as study habits and effort) and those they cannot (outputs, such as grades). The speaker encourages focusing on inputs to alleviate stress related to the unpredictability of outputs, promoting a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation.

💡Study Tools

Study tools refer to the resources and methods used to facilitate learning and understanding of academic material. The video mentions 'brilliant.org' as an example of a study tool that makes learning interactive and engaging, which can help reduce stress by making the study process more enjoyable and effective.

💡Outlets

Outlets, in the context of the video, are activities or interests outside of academics that provide a break from study and a means to relieve stress. The speaker distinguishes between short-term and long-term outlets, emphasizing the importance of both for maintaining mental health and preventing burnout.

💡Discord Server

A Discord server is a chat community platform where people can communicate in real-time. The speaker mentions their Discord server as a supportive space for students to vent their feelings, share experiences, and seek help with specific subjects, which serves as a social outlet and a resource for academic support.

💡Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the pursuit of flawlessness and setting extremely high standards for oneself. In the video, the speaker addresses the pressure of perfectionism among top students and the unrealistic expectation of always being perfect. The speaker encourages students to accept stress and occasional low grades as normal parts of the learning process, rather than signs of inadequacy.

💡Eustress

Eustress, also mentioned in the video as 'you stress,' is a term used to describe positive stress that is motivating and energizing. The speaker introduces the concept of eustress to help students understand that a certain level of stress can be beneficial for maintaining focus and drive in their academic pursuits.

Highlights

The importance of taking on challenging classes to stand out for top colleges is acknowledged, but so is the stress that can come with it.

Stress is a normal part of student life and can be motivating; the 'stress curve' concept is introduced to show different levels of stress.

Recognizing that some stress is healthy and necessary for motivation is crucial for students taking on hard classes.

Contextualizing grades helps students understand that one low grade does not define their intelligence or ability.

The inevitability of some low grades in hard classes is discussed, and the importance of not letting them affect self-image.

Focusing on inputs rather than outputs empowers students to control what they can, such as study time and asking for help.

Taking pride in effort over grades can help mitigate stress, even when exam results are not as expected.

Brilliant.org is introduced as a study tool that makes learning interactive and fun, potentially reducing stress.

Finding short-term and long-term outlets for stress is essential for maintaining a balance between work and relaxation.

The concept of finite energy is used to emphasize the need for recharging and re-energizing during study breaks.

Talking out stress with friends or trusted individuals can provide empathy and potential solutions to academic challenges.

The toxic mindset of perfectionism among top students is discussed, and the normalcy of stress and low grades is highlighted.

Joining a community like a Discord server can offer a safe space for students to vent and seek help academically.

The video concludes with an encouragement for students to manage stress and a prompt for feedback on future topics.

Transcripts

so back in high school I had the amazing

idea of taking the hardest classes I

possibly could and let me tell you it

got super stressful at times sophomore

year wasn't too bad I only took two AP

classes my junior year I took four and

my senior year I took five and look if

you're watching this video chances are

you also are taking the hardest classes

you possibly can because you want to

stand out to top colleges and you know

what I applaud you for being bold and

challenging yourself but as I have

experienced myself taking a bunch of

hard classes can get incredibly

overwhelming so let's cover my five tips

for dealing with stress and burnout as a

student all right tip number one is to

realize that stress is okay I think when

a lot of students talk about alleviating

stress the implicit goal there is to

just get rid of all stress in general

and look I'm going to tell you right now

that's not fully possible the reality is

if you felt zero stress whatsoever about

any of your school work you wouldn't

have any motivation to do it so there's

something called the stress curve and it

shows three different levels of stress

if you have low stress it means you're

calm and relaxed and not worrying about

too much if your stress is too high it

means you're distressed and probably

going to burn out or feel overwhelmed

but in the middle there's something

called you stress and this is what I

think every student should aim for this

is stress that's actually healthy it's

the kind of stress that will help you

feel alert motivated and ready to do

your work thinking about this curve as

helpful because you realize that your

feelings of stress are completely normal

it's not like you're weak or incapable

if you're feeling stressed you're just a

normal student so let's talk about how

you can bring that distress to you

stress with my next tip you need to

contextualize look we've all been there

we've all gotten a low grade we see the

number and we kind of feel like it's the

end of the world but what usually

happens you tend to do better on the

next exam homework assignments and

classroom assignments help you make up

for that low grade and by the end of the

semester it's kind of like that one low

grade almost had no impact at all if

you're a student and especially if

you're taking hard classes you have to

realize that some low grades are

inevitable and again that's not a

testament to your intelligence or your

ability maybe you didn't get enough

sleep the night before maybe you had

other commitments so you couldn't study

as much you should never let the

occasional low grade impact your

self-image or affect how smart you think

you are so that's why I think it's so

important that you put every grade into

context for example let's say you get a

70 on something is it a 70 on a midterm

or is it a 7D on a classroom assignment

yes regardless seeing that 70 might not

feel the best but if it's a classroom

assignment it'll probably not even

matter okay but let's say it is on a

midterm even then you should

contextualize and zoom out it's just one

midterm of probably several dozen you're

going to take throughout your time in

high school so again in the grand scheme

of things that 170 is just going to fade

into the background and you'll be just

fine I think it's very important for

students and especially type A students

to just step back and see everything in

the broader picture it's a skill that I

really had to force myself to learn in

high school and college and one that

definitely helped me a alleviate tons of

stress all right and along these lines

here's my third tip focus on inputs not

outputs ultimately you should feel

empowered by thinking about the things

you have control over for example the

amount of time you spend studying for a

test creating a study schedule in

advance asking for help when you need it

these are variables that you can control

and where you should be putting most of

your focus you shouldn't Focus too much

on the actual grade you get on an

assessment or an essay if you know you

put the work in ultimately if you focus

on the inputs and what you have control

over and learn to let go of the outputs

which is the grade that you get you can

learn to be proud of yourself for doing

things like putting in the work studying

extra hours once again asking for help

the happiness that you feel from knowing

you did your best and actually put in

the work should outweigh any sadness

that you get from getting a slightly low

grade for example back in college I took

this really hard algorithms class and I

kid you not in that class where science

fair winners Olympiad winners and some

of these smartest students from all

across the country did I do well on the

exam exams for the most part yes but I

remember there being exams that I did

not do as well as I wanted to but even

then I was pretty happy with the outcome

because I knew I gave those exams my all

I spent the entire week following up

doing as many practice problems as I

could going to office hours reviewing

previous exams and taking pride in that

effort I put in helped mitigate the

stress of getting a somewhat low grade

all right so to help alleviate stress

it's also important to have the right

study tools and resources and that's

where the sponsor of this video comes in

brilliant.org brilliant makes it really

fun to study and achieve your academic

goals instead of having to read through

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brilliant interactive Math and Science

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subscription okay tip number four for

alleviating stress and burnout you have

to find outlets and by this I mean you

got to find ways to break away from your

work relieve stress and just enjoy

yourself for a little bit and I want you

to think about this in two ways you got

to find short-term outlets and long-term

Outlets a short-term Outlet can be as

simple as taking a break while you're

studying for example every hour you

might go for a small walk scroll through

your phone watch a video play a video

game balance intense periods of work

with moments when you can just sit back

and relax for a little bit and at the

same time I also want you to think of

long-term Outlets how are you going to

release stress after a week of hard work

maybe on the weekend you can watch a

movie hang out with your friends go on a

small hike you need both those shorter

term dayto day rewards as well as these

monthly or weekly longer term rewards

and a very simple way to think about

this is realizing you have finite energy

while you're working you're consuming

that energy so it's very important that

you find moments of time to recharge and

re-energize all right and tip number

five which I think is kind of underrated

in this age of social media where

everyone tries to Be Perfect online is

to talk it out look for me personally if

I ever felt super stressed back in

college I would sometimes just go see my

friends and V to them for like 20 your

30 minutes and it was great because they

would often be in the exact same

situation and they could empathize with

my feelings and help me feel a lot

better and you know what I think there's

this sort of toxic mindset where top

students think they always need to be

perfect and infallible and that any sign

of weakness or stress is just a sign

that they're not cut out for harder

classes or the ivy le as I've said maybe

five times throughout this video feeling

stress the occasional low grade these

are all completely normal things even

for top students I highly recommend

finding people you trust like siblings

or friends that you can talk to during

these moments when you're not feeling

the best and it's great for two reasons

because one you feel like you have

someone there that's actually listening

to you and understands your feelings and

then in some cases you might also have

someone that can potentially offer

advice for example if you're venting

about AP Physics to your friend who's

also in AP Physics maybe they'll offer

to help you on the next homework

assignment or maybe they'll have some

tips and tricks for the concepts you're

super confused about and look I don't

mean to make this an obnoxious plug but

if you're looking for a safe space where

you can just vent about your feelings

and talk to people in the same position

as you check out my Discord server we

have a channel preventing for students

who just want to talk to someone and we

also have subject specific channels for

students who need help on particular

topics come join the community if you

haven't already I try to chat there once

a day and maybe I'll see you as well all

right guys that's all I got for this

video I genuinely hope it helped and be

sure to like subscribe and comment down

below for what you want me to talk about

next time