The Prospector

High school is easily one of the most stressful times in a person’s life; between the workload, tests, and maintaining a social life, it can get overwhelming.

This is the first time in your life that you’re expected to act like an adult and are treated as such. It’s hard to expect anyone to go through these types of life changes and not struggle, almost every student does at some point. Especially when your entire future could potentially ride on these few years you’re here. So, here are a few tips and tricks on how to cope with stress in high school.

The first thing you can do is find an escape. This can be anything, but it’s important that it’s something you can  focus on solely. Some people work out, watch a TV show or movie, cook, play video games, etc. My personal favorite is reading. When you’re reading a book, you have to focus on the words and imagine the scene happening on the page. But what’s important is that this time is spent not thinking about school or homework or anything that is causing you stress. Though it is a balancing act, you need to remember that you can’t use escapism as a way to procrastinate. That only makes it worse. A way to prevent that mindset from setting in is to make specific times in your day times to escape.

Speaking of setting times, another great way to take some weight off your shoulders is to make a routine. Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time, from there you can plan out your day from when you’ll do your schoolwork to when you’ll have free time. Having six hours of your day already planned out because of school makes that easier. But don’t be too hard on yourself, remember that this is supposed to help you. If you feel like you need more time to do something, allow yourself the time you need. Routines are trial and error, and sometimes you’ll need to adjust to fit your lifestyle. Don’t compare yours to anyone else’s.

Keep up on your school work as best you can. I know that it’s annoying to hear this constantly, but it really is a great way to avoid the stress of time limits. Having your homework done before the due date just generally feels great; it’s one less thing to worry about. Try using a planner or setting reminders on your calendar of when your assignments are due. There is also a calendar tab on Google Classroom that tells you when the assignments posted are due and shows when one has been marked as missing. Keeping up with work is important but mental health comes first, so if you do fall behind make sure not to beat yourself up about it.

It can be hard to confide in adults about the struggle of being a student, it’s been a while since they themselves were in high school after all. So the people that are the most likely to relate to your struggles are your friends. I can guarantee that your friends are experiencing the same issues with school that you are. It can make a world’s difference knowing that you’re not alone in the feeling of being overwhelmed. Sometimes all you need is to vent with someone that understands.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is at a different comprehension level so there’s no point in thinking that you’re not as smart as someone else just because they understand one subject more than you. Some people are good at math and some are good at English, it’s hardly reasonable to think that everyone will be good in every subject.

FOMO stands for the “fear of missing out”, meaning that you are afraid that you’re being left out of activities. It’s expected of teenagers to have a booming social life but sometimes you just want to curl up in bed after a long day and take a nap. Don’t feel pressured to go out with friends or to parties if you’re not feeling up to it. It’s perfectly fine to want to spend time alone focusing on yourself; healthy even. It doesn’t mean you’re selfish or that you’re flakey. And don’t worry, there will always be more opportunities to go out and socialize.

Your education is just that, yours. If you don’t like a class or need to adjust your schedule, do your best to find a solution. It’ll take effort on your part but trust me, in the long run it’ll make your educational experience a lot easier. Talk to your teachers and counselor about your classes and explain why they aren’t working for you. All it takes is an email.

Take mental health days. There are some days when you just can’t make yourself get out of bed. On those days, don’t feel guilty about taking the day off to take care of yourself. When you’re in that mental state it’s hard to be productive, and being in a school environment may only make it worse. It’ll make coming back to school the next day much easier and more productive.

It’s incredible that mental health is being talked about more in schools and in society as a whole. There is no need for a stigma to surround it when everyone deals with it. As a student that has dealt with anxiety my entire school career, I know as well as anyone how important it is to make high school as stress-free as possible. There are an infinite number of ways to cope, and everyone does so differently. These are just basic tips for those teenagers who are struggling.