High school students in this generation struggle to find time to focus on their happiness and maintain it in this generation. Although many of them might say they are generally a happy person, they still find that they can be sad or stressed more often than not. Collectively, the reason for this is being overwhelmed with too much on their plate at the same time. 

Happiness is one of the most important aspects of life. According to professional evidence, happiness is essential for a healthy lifestyle. It eliminates stress and anxiety which ultimately strengthens the heart and reduces pain. Happiness can even boost your immune system according to Dayse Coyle in “How being Happy Makes you Healthier.” In order to maintain happiness, people must reduce their stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

According to a student at Roxbury High School, the main things that take away her happiness are school, homework, and stressing about college next year. Another student who is a senior in high school says that being overwhelmed, being alone, and worrying about others liking her are the main causes for her sadness. The causes for being stressed and having decreased happiness may be the result of having way too much to think about at the same time. 

In order to cope with these feelings of being overwhelmed, these students try to boost their happiness by partaking in the things they enjoy. One student said that watching shows and working out helps her happiness increase. Another says that exercise, driving around, spending time with friends, and listening to music makes her sadness decrease. One issue is that students do not seem to have enough time to do the things that help them bring back their happiness.

When asked how their happiness has changed from their youth to now, these students express that they are generally less happy than they used to be. They explain that the reason for this is because of reality setting in and worrying about things that are much more important. They say that they have so much to worry about and often worry about things that are out of their control, as well. 

Happiness keeps people motivated and gets them through each day. Without happiness, people feel worthless and run down. They feel sad and stressed, and find it difficult to get the things done that they actually want to accomplish. These students define happiness as “Anything that makes you smile or feel a positive emotion.” They also say it is “A feeling of positivity that comes and goes.” The problem is that many students feel that it goes more than it comes, which is ultimately the cause of most of their stress. 

They describe the things that make them happy and the feelings that come with it as something that is brought in and taken away by different experiences. Although these students say that they struggle to find time to do things that make them feel happy and they often feel overwhelmed with the things they can not control, they say that they are generally happy people. They also say that dogs, work, family, friends, and sports make them happy and they score a 7-8.5 out of 10 when asked how happy they are. 

Everyone, especially high school students struggling with overwhelming workloads, should take more time out of their days to focus on their happiness. People should work harder to accomplish the things that they want to do for themselves in order to feel more motivated and put together. It is important for people not to overwork themselves so that they can find time to relax and de-stress. In the end, it will only increase mental health.