You wake up at 6 am, head to school for classes, stay late due to a club, then have soccer practice, and then you have to do work until midnight with no sleep. This is a regular day for many students, leaving them mentally and physically drained. Overpacked schedules is a huge issue in schools. The student’s day is filled with extracurriculars, AP classes and clubs. This is increasingly impacting the mental health of students. There is no balance between personal life and work and it can be stressful to a student and cause burnouts. Students have bigger schedules as the school years go by and as they take more and more exams. “From my professional and personal experience it can be very overwhelming,” says Ms Callie, our school’s psychologist.
The effects of packed schedules can feel hard and leave no space for personal life such as hobbies, friends and family time. This is disrupting the basic needs of students like sleeping. Students will be sleep deprived when entering class and will not have the right mindset to continue assignments which can lead to lower grades. “I would recommend prioritizing specific times after school and weeks for relaxing activities,” says Ms Callie. People with over packed schedules tend to get insomnia which can be dangerous as being sleep deprived can lead to feeling irritated, arguments and aggression. Students won’t be able to focus properly in class. Students can feel fatigued, depressed and anxious. Students with no time for themselves can see their creativity lessen.