Transition to high school can often prove challenging for teens, as they have to deal with a lot of new information. For me, in the first year of high school, Algebra became a source of chronic stress for a few reasons. I felt pressure from my parents to do well in academics, and I was frustrated because doing homework would take hours and ruin my plans to go out with my friends. After failing a test early in the year, I lost confidence in my ability to solve even relatively simple equations. I would often give up on an assignment before even trying to find a solution. Stress is known to impair one’s task performance efficiency and cognitive functioning (Weiten et al., 2017), and that was exactly what happened to me. I would often spend hours staring at the textbook with my brain completely paralyzed.
There are several different coping mechanisms people use to deal with stress. However, not all of those offer healthy solutions to the problems (Weiten et al., 2017). My initial response was to avoid stress by avoiding dealing with the issue. Instead of focusing on my homework, I would watch a series or go to the movies with friends. One of my classmates was proficient at Algebra, and he would often let me copy his homework, so my grades would not suffer. I did not feel stressed anymore, as my parents were happy with my results, and I could spend enough time with my friends again. However, it lasted only until the end of the semester when I failed another test. I realized that my coping mechanism was inadequate, and it led to negative results in the long term.
I explained to my parents that I was stressed because of their high expectations, and they told me that my engagement and effort were more important to them than my grades. Scholars often say that social support plays a pivotal role in reducing stress levels (Weiten et al., 2017). Indeed, I felt relieved after the conversation with my parents, and it became easier for me to develop a proper coping strategy, as I did not feel pressured to achieve immediate results.
However, I was still frustrated about not being able to spend a lot of time with my friends. Rather than dwelling on negative emotions, I used this factor as a positive reinforcer. I told myself that I could go to the movies only when I finished my Algebra homework. It was incredibly challenging in the beginning, and in the first two months of the second semester, I barely spent any free time with my friends. However, every time I managed to finish my homework on time and go to the movies or a party, I felt that I truly deserved the reward, so my motivation level remained high. By the end of the school year, I was in the top 10% of my Algebra class. Most importantly, my strategy helped me identify the stress factors correctly and deal with them in a productive manner.
The most challenging part of implementing my program was self-control. It can be very tempting to “cheat” and reward yourself without making an actual effort (Weiten et al., 2017). One can decrease the chances of it happening by making another person responsible for administering reinforcers (Weiten et al., 2017). I could have asked my parents to take care of that. However, I wanted to prove to myself that I could deal with this challenge on my own, and eventually, I succeeded.
References
Weiten, W., Hammer, E. Y., & Dunn, D. S. (2017). ADJUST. Cengage Learning.