Dealing With Senior Stress
By: Justin Arandia
To the seniors of Central,
These days, we often find ourselves tired, frustrated, and annoyed with what school and life have been throwing at us. The pressure of being a senior in high school can be scary, I get that. As seniors, we want to prove our worth to our futures. We find ourselves buried with academic work, extracurriculars, and social life. Of course, many other factors can be detrimental that would lead to stress. I know that we are all dealing with stress right now. Worrying about our grades, financial problems, and where we would end up after graduation.
This article is going to be me (the writer), trying to suggest ways we could deal with stress.
- Take Breaks!
Whether you’re studying for a big test or doing a small assignment if you find yourself dozing off… Just take a break! It sounds simple but a five to ten-minute break after a repetitive assignment or a hefty review can make a big difference. Make sure you don’t end up procrastinating though, setting timers might help if you get easily distracted.
- Don’t be afraid to say “No.”
You just got asked by your friend(s) to hang out, and you have so much homework to do and tests to study for, you’d also feel bad if you said no. What should you do? It depends on the situation… If you get asked spontaneously then say no! But in other cases, where it’s planned….. Maybe? Well…. Maybe evaluate your priorities first, is your workload heavy? How much will your work affect your grades? How long will it take you to finish it? Once you’ve evaluated your situation then come up with an answer.
But remember, it’s still acceptable to just simply say “no”. You don’t have to feel obligated to satisfy anyone else’s “wants” and “needs”, you just need to work on yours.
- Talk to your peers!
Having someone you can talk to that isn’t too involved with your life can be helpful. If things become overwhelming or go south, go ahead and talk to someone that will listen! A friend, your teacher, or perhaps even your work buddy. Letting it out and venting to someone is better than bottling it up.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew!!!!!
I know, as seniors we feel obligated to be involved as much as we can if we wanna get those sweet scholarships. But always remember, to prioritize your academics before you set off to join multiple things at the same time. Don’t stretch yourself out too much so that you end up not as productive. Evaluate your current position in and out of school before starting something that might consume more time than you think. Time is precious these days!
Hopefully, these points helped you out even for a little bit. School these days gets overwhelming, especially when we grow older. We get jobs, relationships, and bills to pay that require a lot of attention. Remember to recognize how you’re feeling when things get rough. Recognizing these emotions would help us label and validate them, and we can engage in behaviors that would ease these feelings.
Have a great extra long weekend, take some time to relax and reset!