By: Isaac Cox and Iliana Gallego

For Catalina Gallego, the transition from high school to college was far more difficult than she expected.

A straight-A student throughout high school, she left home excited to pursue a degree in architecture. Within weeks, however, the academic pressure became overwhelming.

She called her parents every other day in tears. Many nights, she told them, she hadn’t slept at all. She would spend the entire night working on projects before heading directly to her morning classes. As the semester wore on, she stopped joining friends for lunch, convinced there wasn’t enough time for anything except schoolwork.

By the time she returned home for winter break, the stress had taken a visible toll. She was exhausted, her skin had broken out with severe acne, and she no longer felt like herself.

“There were times when I thought about quitting,” Gallego said. “But there wasn’t anything I wanted to study more than architecture. I knew it was my passion.”

For many families, that struggle has become increasingly familiar as academic pressure continues to weigh on students. Research from the American Institute of Stress shows that nearly half of students experience a great deal of stress every day, while more than half of teenagers identify homework as one of their biggest sources of stress. Parents are noticing the strain as well, with 69% saying their teenager experiences significant stress related to school.

“The hardest part of being a parent or a caregiver is watching your child go through hard times and not being able to fix it,” says Dr. Kelly Greco, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor with more than 30 years of experience working with youth and families.

Rather than removing every obstacle, Greco says parents should focus on helping their children navigate challenges on their own. “They need to learn what it’s like to fail and get back up,” she says. “They need to learn how to help themselves while we stand behind them.” Instead of trying to eliminate every source of stress, she says parents can equip their children with the tools to cope, adapt and move forward.

Gallego’s experience reflects a broader pattern observed among students. Academic stress rarely stems from a single assignment or exam. Instead, studies show it is often driven by a combination of demanding workloads, limited time, and pressure to succeed academically, along with personal factors such as self-doubt, low confidence, and the stress students place on themselves. Family expectations, pressure from instructors, and a lack of social support can further intensify the burden, while financial challenges, language barriers, and limited access to technology may add another layer of stress.

Research suggests that academic stress affects far more than grades. It can contribute to anxiety, reduced motivation, strained relationships, physical health problems and an overall decline in well-being, underscoring the need for stronger mental health support and learning environments that promote healthy coping rather than chronic stress.

Throughout the semester, Gallego’s parents remained a steady source of support. Rather than trying to solve every problem for her, they focused on helping her find healthy ways to manage the pressure. Sometimes that meant encouraging her to step away from her computer and take a 30-minute walk. Other times, it meant suggesting she stay at the university library to study instead of isolating herself in her apartment.

“At first, I thought taking a break would only put me further behind,” Gallego said. “But I realized I actually got more done after a short walk than I ever did sitting in front of my computer for hours while I was anxious.”

Greco says this type of support helps young people develop resilience by teaching them to recognize and challenge negative thought patterns. The human brain, she explains, is naturally wired with a “negativity bias,” meaning it tends to focus on potential threats as a way of protecting us. However, not every stressful situation represents a true threat.

Helping young people pause and question those thoughts—asking themselves whether they are facing a real danger or simply a difficult challenge—is an important part of building resilience. Greco emphasizes that this kind of self-talk allows students to reframe challenges, recognize that struggles are a normal part of life, and focus on solutions rather than feeling overwhelmed.

Greco emphasizes that the first step in managing stress is developing self-awareness. “If I don’t know what is going on internally, then I won’t even know what to do,” she says. By recognizing when they are becoming overwhelmed, students can make intentional adjustments before their stress becomes unmanageable.

For students experiencing academic stress, Greco recommends creating a routine that provides structure and a greater sense of control while focusing on what they can influence rather than what they cannot.

Connection is another important part of managing stress. Greco explains that a sense of belonging and having a supportive community can help protect young people’s mental health. Feeling connected reminds students that they do not have to navigate challenges alone.

For Gallego, that connection began in the university library. There, she formed new friendships, shared moments of laughter, supported classmates through challenging projects, and spent long nights working alongside people who understood what she was experiencing.

Beyond that, Greco also recommends developing a personal toolkit of healthy coping strategies, whether that means journaling, exercising, taking a walk or simply stepping away to reset. The key, she says, is practicing those habits before reaching a crisis point so they become part of everyday life.

She adds that teaching self-compassion is one of the most valuable lessons parents can offer. Many students are far more critical of themselves than they would ever be toward a friend. Instead of viewing setbacks as failures, she encourages young people to recognize their progress, learn from mistakes and respond to themselves with the same patience and understanding they would offer someone they care about.

Soon after arriving home for winter break, Gallego sought support from a psychologist and other mental health professionals. Looking back, she says the conversations she had with her parents throughout that first semester—listening to her, encouraging her, and reminding her to take care of herself—became just as important as any academic advice they could offer.

As she prepares to start her seventh semester, Gallego still faces a demanding academic workload, but she no longer sees exhaustion as a measure of success.

“I used to think that taking care of myself meant I wasn’t working hard enough,” Gallego said. “Now I know that finding balance is what helps me succeed. I exercise, spend time with my friends and still get my schoolwork done. I feel so much healthier and happier.”