By: Kylee Greene '25 and Ani van Lynde '25
When was the last time you truly unplugged? In the hustle of adjusting to life at Cate, have you found a moment to just breathe? Stress is a part of life, especially in a high achieving community such as Cate where balancing academics, extracurriculars, and new relationships is the norm. But stress doesn’t have to be a roadblock. It can be managed with the right strategies and mindset.
Cate’s two full time counselors, Dean’a Curry and Nadine Maxwell, explore common stressors students face at Cate, strategies to cope, and the resources available to help students not just survive, but thrive in this environment.
Understanding Common Stressors at Cate
Transitioning to life at Cate introduces students to a new world of independence. For boarders, the adjustment to living away from home involves not only navigating dorm life but also adapting to new rules and forming new relationships with peers and staff. This shift can be overwhelming, as students must learn to balance their personal autonomy with the responsibilities that come with communal living. Day students, while remaining at home, face their own challenges; they must manage longer, busy days while maintaining a healthy balance between their school and home lives.
The stressors they encounter can be multifaceted. In a competitive academic environment, peer pressure may lead to increased stress, pushing students to take on extra coursework and extracurricular activities. Many feel the weight of parental expectations, which can amplify anxiety around performance and achievement. Additionally, internal pressures—such as the drive for perfectionism and fear of failure—can create significant emotional strain. These common challenges can impact students' well-being, making it essential for them to develop effective coping strategies and support systems.
Extracurriculars as Stress Relievers
Cate’s extracurricular offerings—from sports to arts—provide essential outlets for stress relief. Statistics show that physical activity promotes the release of endorphins, improving mood and sleep hygiene, while creative pursuits help students to decompress and weave creativity into their days. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity can reduce anxiety levels by 20-40% and improve sleep quality by about 65%. Additionally, a study conducted by Drexel University found that engaging in creative endeavors, such as drawing or painting, can lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone) by about 75%. These activities allow students to maintain balance by taking productive breaks, allowing students to return to work refreshed and ready to be productive.
On the contrary, in the spirit of balance, Cate requires each student to participate in an after-school activity from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. While physical activity has been proven to contribute to positive mental health and helps students form connections, attending sports every day can be challenging, especially when kids feel tired or need a break. Some proposed solutions include offering junior varsity sports only three times a week or implementing a system where students can sign up a limited number of times each trimester to work in the library instead of participating in their sport. It is essential to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of mandatory after-school activities to ensure they effectively support students' well-being.
Building Healthy Relationships
Building strong relationships with peers and faculty is another essential element of managing stress at Cate. Establishing common ground through bonding activities, and social interactions, especially within the dorms, fosters a supportive network. Attending sports games, sharing meals, or participating in club meetings, provides a necessary outlet for fun and meaningful connections throughout the day. Faculty members, including advisors and dorm parents, are readily available for meetings, event sponsorship, and guidance in challenging situations. Taking the initiative to form these connections helps create a more comfortable and less stressful environment that feels like home.
While sociability is vital, it's equally important for students to prioritize self-care and take time for themselves. Constantly being surrounded by people can be overwhelming, and moments of solitude help to recharge one's mental and emotional batteries. Allocating time for individual pursuits, whether through quiet reflection or pursuing a personal hobby, allows students to maintain a healthy balance between social engagement and personal well-being. Recognizing the need for both connection and solitude can enhance overall mental health and resilience in the bustling environment at Cate.
Creating a Balanced Schedule and Managing Academic Pressure
Every student works differently. As counselor Deana Curry advises, “Ask yourself the question, how do you work best?” Understanding your personal workflow is crucial for managing stress as a student, and crafting a system that works for you starts with recognizing how you tackle tasks.
Below are Ms. Curry and Ms. Maxwell’s top 5 pieces of advice to balance stress and manage workload.
Prioritize Tasks by Due Dates
Organizing your workload based on assignment due dates allows you to focus on what needs immediate attention and prevents last-minute stress; other systems of prioritization can also be effective, such as completing busy work first.
Plan Ahead
Avoid waiting until the last minute to begin your projects. You can give yourself time to refine your work but work in advance, which can lead to better quality results and reduce the pressure of tight deadlines.
Incorporate Brain Breaks
Taking a 5-minute break to engage in physical activity–whether it’s going for a quick walk, drinking water, stretching, or doodling– can refresh your mind, allow you to return to your assignments with renewed energy, and ultimately enhance your productivity.
Tailor Your Environment
Experiment and find study spaces and people that align with how you work best - ie. silence, background noise, collaboration, etc
Reflect and Adjust
Regularly finding times to revisit your study habits, especially when feeling overwhelmed or as though something could be changed. Adaptability is key to finding a balance that works for you
Recognizing When to Seek Help
Building awareness around identifying the signs of stress and recognizing when to seek help is very necessary. When personal strategies like exercise, talking to friends, or utilizing time management tools are no longer working, it may be time to seek higher levels of support. Even if one simply feels the need to talk and get something off their chest, counseling is a confidential resource. Cate’s counseling services are available for students, offering everything from one-on-one counseling to family support. Counselors at Ellis House are available for check-ins and are able to, as Dean’a says, “provide referrals and arrange work with mental health clinicians outside of Cate” when appropriate.
Click here to schedule an appointment with Dean’a Curry.
Click here to schedule an appointment with Nadine Maxwell.
Advice for Parents: Supporting Your Child
Parents play a significant role in helping their children adjust and manage stress at Cate. Open communication, such as actively listening to your child’s experiences and emotions as well as offering guidance in stress management can be essential. It’s also important for parents to be conscious of the pressure they may inadvertently place on their children, providing encouragement and mentorship rather than additional expectations.
To enhance communication, parents can utilize regular check-ins through phone calls, Facetimes, or text messages to stay engaged with their child's daily life, as most parents are not with their children in person. Asking open-ended questions can encourage more in-depth discussions about their experiences and feelings. Additionally, parents can attend school events or parent-teacher meetings to gain insights into their child's environment and build relationships with faculty. By providing a supportive sounding board and supervising their child’s growing independence, parents can cultivate productive support that helps alleviate stress.
Conclusion: Mental Wellness Matters
Cate’s counseling services and support networks are designed to ensure students get the support they need to maintain balance, manage stress, and thrive while at Cate.
Finally, Ms. Maxwell remarks: “A reminder to the world: mental wellness is equally as important as physical wellness even though we cannot see it. Because of that, we often downplay its importance, but it is equally as harmful.”
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