Once in a while, a person taking multiple AP classes, an extracurricular student, or a teacher can have the ongoing challenge of making sure their mental health remains ahead of their crammed schedule. However, the greater question may not be how a person can keep their mental health afloat twenty-four seven, but how they manage the feeling of being overwhelmed when their workload merges into their daily lives.
However, despite the challenge, individuals such as senior Jerry Wang and social studies teacher Kristin Grosserhode at West Albany High School (WAHS), also find their work rewarding.
“I’m gonna be very honest, band is at times very stressful. Especially when… you get music [on] short notice, and you just have to be crafty with what you do,” Wang said as an avid WAHS band member.
At the same time, a person can see the passion in Wang’s words as he shared that music, such as playing Rachmaninoff, is his “decompression zone.”
“But at the same time,” Wang said, “I enjoy doing that. I enjoy doing music.”
Meanwhile, on the teacher’s side of the mental health coin, Grosserhode mentions that the things outside of her work are more complicated than they appear.
“From a student’s perspective, it doesn’t appear to impact my schedule at work at seven fifteen and stay until three fifty. It’s what happens outside of work that impacts the schedule,” Grosserhode said. “It’s much more involved.”
Grosserhode’s day doesn’t end the moment she’s done with work. Instead, she finds that balancing lesson plans and grading papers while raising her three-year-old daughter, “it’s much harder.”
“Maybe I’m feeling a little stressed getting to the babysitter, because I don’t know if I’m going to get to work on time,” She says.
Likewise, being a mom also requires Grosserhode to improvise new methods as a cross-country coach that can not only support her, but also the team. In some cases, her daughter becomes an honorary member of the cross-country team.
“[Sometimes] she has to come with me… running all around the race, [I’m] carrying a three-year-old because she can’t keep up with me.”
Despite these challenges, Grosserhode believes that being a mom is a “precious and wonderful and terrifying responsibility.”
“Having children is a big decision,” she explains, “It doesn’t make your life harder and worse. It makes your life harder and better. So it’s definitely worth it.”
However, she also proposes a caveat to anyone interested in parenthood to reflect deeply on whether parenting “is worth it to you as an individual. Because there are things that you’re going to have to give up and adjust to.”
Similarly, Wang had to overcome his own challenges to fulfill his goals in becoming valedictorian. “[It] also had a very big toll on my mental health, especially because, unfortunately, just the way my classes work… I have to work on everything at the same time. And it’s super stressful having the deadlines converge on each other and having so many things to do and so little amount of time.”
As a result of having certain classes such as AP Chemistry and AP Stats back-to-back, Wang reported that, on average, he usually gets five hours of sleep. Weekends, outside of jazz band festivals and early piano performances, have become his greatest source of rest. His word of advice?
“Sleep more. Just please, guys, please sleep more. Don’t be like [sleep-deprived] me.”
To relieve the stress of juggling his roles as a WAHS band member, aspiring valedictorian, and a WAHS student, Wang found “the successful strategy” of having his schedule built from things that bring him joy. Even though he acknowledges that the strategy can also lead to burnout, a schedule built on the things he’s passionate about
“So even if I feel super stressed out about stuff, it’s stuff I enjoy.”
In his free time, Wang also makes it a point to keep in touch with alumni friends through video games. For him, video games are his main point of contact with those who graduated, so he savors any moment he could meet them again. However, one of his greatest defenses against poor mental health emerges from the company of his friends and peers.
“[Just] seeing people happy makes me happy. I’m a very empathetic person by nature.”
Additionally, in regards to his mental health, Wang wants to thank “everyone” for extending their support whenever he needed it the most. Namely, his teachers, his counselors, Principal Engel, his parents, and three Albany band directors who “have single-handedly” impacted his life: Mr. Welsh, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. McFadden.
As for distractions, Wang has been trying the “out of sight, out of mind” strategy to help with the distractors around him. However, he also mentions that it is far from perfect. But that does not stop his motivation for constant improvement, and his courage to try new methods in the future. “You know, we’ll get there one day.”
Now, Grosserhode herself is taking her routine on a day-to-day basis. When things get stressful, she loves to exercise as a way to “reset.”
“Just getting out and moving always makes me feel better, refreshed, and super strong. [It] reminds me that I can do anything.”
For WAHS students and staff struggling with their own busy schedules, Grosserhode offers this word of advice.
“Find the things that make you who you are. I love running. I love traveling. I love reading.”
However, Grosserhode’s greatest advice is finding ways to juggle multiple things that a person loves. Even though Grosserhode had to sacrifice things to make her schedule possible, she balances the two she loves: teaching and raising her daughter with small steps to care for her mind. In her life, she is more than her day-to-day schedule, and she does that by reminding herself of her individuality.
“Now that I have a daughter, [it’s hard] to do all of those things that I consider fun. So, it’s been helpful to pick one, and I’m really committed to trying to make that one thing happen, to not lose sight of who I am.”
