Sally Bdeir’s View on School Stress

-Ama Sarpomaa (‘21)

Everyone knows that attending the International Academy is a challenge in itself. When asked about the biggest struggle in her life right now, junior Sally Bdeir had an answer similar to most students at the IA.

“My biggest struggle right now is having to balance my school life with my personal life,” Bdeir said. “It’s really hard to stay positive when you’re stressed out!

“It’s helpful to focus on how school is just a small aspect of your life. It’s also really hard to find time to spend with your parents and siblings. With me going to my mosque, and studying for the ACT after school, I am left with little to no time for myself. I tend to overwhelm myself by biting off more than I can chew, so I really am the cause of most of my stress.

“Even though I try not to commit to too many things, my high expectations for myself make it difficult for me to only do a small amount of out of school activities. Growing up, I was always a really good student. My parents never got angry at me for my grades, and I was able to go through school with a lot of ease. Coming to IA gave me my first experience with school stress. I began to worry about what grade I got on tests, and constantly checked Mistar to see what grade I needed to get on my final to maintain an A. This affected my mental health in a very negative way. As a student, it is important to focus on bettering your physical, spiritual, and mental health because otherwise, depression could set in.

“Even though stress is a part of most high school experiences, I need to learn how to prevent it from taking over my entire life. Spending time whenever I can with my family and friends is one way I alleviate my stress. Something else I do is watch my favorite shows on Netflix whenever I can. I also like to listen to as much music!”