[JSR] School Counselor Advises to 24-24-24 Rule to Seniors to Ease Out Stress

Juliann Lee 12th
Larchmont Charter High School

Many adults think teenagers have it easy: no rent to pay, no job, no strict bosses that ask you to work overtime, but when parents say that school is the easiest adventure in human life, boy are they wrong!! The average stress level of teens is a 5.8 whereas adults have a 5.1 on a ten point scale. High school students have a boat-load of responsibilities like homework, extracurricular activities, part time jobs, and the cherry on top is senior year, where college applications are due. I sat down to talk with my SRS (Senior Research Seminar) teacher/counselor, Ms. Esme, to find out how she sees seniors dealing with their issues and how it affects their mental health.

There are a few top ways in which Ms. Esme sees students deal with stress: waiting it out, aka procrastination, contacting counselors and teachers to see how they’re doing, or by ignoring the stress and giving up. The biggest issue, she stated, is time management. For students having to deal with balancing college applications, school work, extracurricular activities, and sometimes part time jobs, this can be a big problem.

Currently, I am a senior and understand all of the stress that comes with this new role. Although I don’t have a part time job, I attend classes on Saturdays throughout the afternoon and workout during the week. These activities produce another level of business alongside my homework and college applications. Throughout high school, my mental health was affected by school and family, which made me reach out to the school for help. I’ve had a few counselors who have helped me better my anxiety and made it possible for me to open up about my mental health. This year my counselor introduced me to the 24-24-24 rule: if you are in a rough situation give yourself 24 seconds, if that isn’t enough use 24 minutes but if you think you need more time to ground yourself use 24 hours. This has helped me clear my head of worldly stress so I can better focus on my education. I would also recommend journaling and exercising to help relieve stress. I have taken kickboxing for almost a year, and it has been a great outlet for stress relief in my own life. I also keep a journal and can attest that writing down your thoughts can be therapeutic and a great time capsule for your older self.

Furthermore, Ms.Esme explained some healthy ways to cope with stress is through counseling either mentally or advising. Mentally is when all you need to do is talk it out, not in a negative way, but just to get it out of your system. Sometimes we call this “venting”. Advising is a way to help people balance work and how to fix the issues in front of them. Also, organization is a big factor, so investing in a planner or calendar is a big plus, since you can visually see what you need to get done. The most important thing is to prioritize self-care, like going to cafes, watching YouTube, or meditation. Everyone needs to be able to go to their happy place and be able to center oneself to help fight stress. There is always a time and place for everything and it’s up to you to manage your time.