AP Classes. Sports. Jobs. Trying to keep up with social life. Chronic stress has become ingrained into every facet of the high school experience. Yet it remains one of the largest, most pervasive threats to our brain health, especially for young adults and adolescents.
Behind the homework and hustle, chronic stress quietly destroys our brains and our daily decisions can change this outcome more than we think. According to neuroscience, mental health, and nutrition experts in the MasterClass series on Brain Health, small conscious choices can improve our brain’s function and preserve and even increase our brain’s function. The way we breathe, eat, sleep, and hydrate are all connected to how clearly we think and how well we feel.
Stress is commonly confused with an emotion, but is in actuality, a chemical process in the brain. When we’re overwhelmed or anxious, our body releases cortisol, a hormone meant to help in emergencies. But when cortisol sticks around too long, it starts targeting two major areas of the brain: the hippocampus, which controls memory, and the prefrontal cortex, which helps with focus and decision-making. These two regions have the highest concentration of cortisol receptors, making them especially vulnerable to chronic stress.
Research shows that soldiers with PTSD often have significantly smaller hippocampi, suggesting that long-term exposure to stress can literally shrink the part of the brain responsible for memory. Dr. Wendy Suzuki, professor of neural science and psychology at New York University, emphasizes that many teens and young adults are suffering from chronic anxiety and depression that, in her words, “really looks more like an epidemic”. While there’s still much to learn about the brain, one hopeful fact is that it has plasticity, which means it can change, grow, and heal over time with the right (simple) steps.
The world we live in is unfortunately saturated with stressors. While we can’t instantly make our stress disappear, the most important tool we already have to reduce stress is our breath. Dr. Suzuki explains that the parasympathetic nervous system describes the system that lowers your heart rate, slows your breathing, and helps your body recover. You can activate this system through slow, intentional breathing, like the “box method”: inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and pause for four. Practicing this method a few minutes a day, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed, can help reset your brain and reduce anxiety naturally.
Food is fuel, and what you eat also plays a huge role in how your brain handles stress. Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, chef, and nutrition specialist, emphasizes the connection between your gut and your brain. Inflammation in the body triggers anxiety and depression, particularly through your gut. Processed foods and sugar make it worse, but eating whole, nutrient-rich foods can help your brain stay sharp and your mood more stable. In other words: a smoothie and some almonds might help you more than vending machine snacks during finals week.
According to Suzuki, metabolic brain health—the way your brain uses energy—depends on sleep. If you train your body to function without the sleep you need, you will eventually stop feeling rested, even when you do sleep. Water matters just as much. If your urine is dark yellow or you feel tired around 2 p.m., you’re probably dehydrated. Fatigue, not thirst, is your sign of dehydration. “If you’re feeling exhausted, try ice water before coffee,” Suzuki recommends. Drinking water early in the day helps prevent the afternoon energy crash altogether.
Not everyone agrees that stress is a villain. Stress can be good, like physical stress on the body during exercise. Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, psychology professor at Northeastern University, argues that what we call anxiety can actually just be determination showing up in the body. That perspective encourages a positive mindset, that feeling nervous before a test could just mean you care.
Suzuki and Naidoo caution that while reframing your mindset is helpful, it’s not enough if your body is exhausted, undernourished, or constantly inflamed. Breathing exercises, hydration, sleep, and better food choices aren’t just feel-good ideas—they’re what give your brain the fuel to handle stress in the first place.
Stress might be part of life, but burnout doesn’t have to be. The experts featured in MasterClass on Brain Health agree: you can train your brain to be healthier, calmer, and more focused. High school students already deal with so much pressure, it only makes sense to give your brain the support it needs to keep up. Start small: sleep a little more, drink some water, swap chips for something fresh. Your future self and your brain will thank you.
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