Students across the country suffer from sleep deprivation, acne breakouts, and irritability. Teens return from summer vacation and experience these stress related symptoms due to a new workload.

In addition to an altered sleep schedule and homework, students seem overwhelmed with sports, jobs, and extra curricular activities. In order to balance out schedules, students need to shift priorities.

?I had to quit my job at Waterhouse Animal Hospital,? Andrew Biehler, ?08, said. ?It was just too time consuming and conflicted with my basketball practices.?

To focus on school, many sacrifice hobbies and leisure time.

?It?s pretty hard to adjust,? Micaelah Aleman, ?08, said. ?During the summer, I would get on the computer as soon as I woke up, take small breaks so that I could eat, and get off right before I went to sleep.?

Fewer things occupy students during the summer, so many slept until noon. Limiting hours of sleep to 8 instead of 12 becomes a challenge.

?A week before school started, I had practiced getting up at a set time,? Larissa Hensley, ?09, said. ?So I wasn?t running late on the first day of school.?

Many find ways to relax in order to cope with stress caused by school. Some find relief in videogames, TV, or reading, while others focus on themselves.

?I try not to worry about the big picture,? Jessica Berg, ?07, said. ?I just take it one day at a time so that I don?t feel overwhelmed. When I can, I take 10-20 minutes out of my day just to write in my journal about my thoughts and feelings.?