High School, a term that can be defined in two ways: the best four years of your life....or the worst. Between the teenage angst and eight hour days stuck inside a building with a combination or your best friends and your worst enemies, it is hard to imagine ever wanting to go back. Yet, once you are thrust into the real world, (or a college world that is) suddenly high school seems like a fond memory of a life that was so ordinary and planned, never not knowing what to expect. But if you could go back in time to those high school days, what would you say to yourself? I would say to myself:
Everything is going to be OK- grades do not define your whole person. Yes, grades are important, but the sun will still rise if you fail a geometry quiz, and no, your future is not gone. Study hard, but get to bed early. Remember when your elementary school teacher told you to go to sleep an hour earlier and eat a good breakfast before standardized testing? Well, they were absolutely right. Cramming for a test will never make your score rise from an 80 to a 90, and you will only be cranky for the day because of it. You may not see the immediate results you wish for, but one grade does not define your whole record.
Give yourself a break, it is so important. Your schedule in high school is very hectic, between sports, homework, eating, and oh yeah your day primarily being consumed by school itself. That being said, take a deep breath, take a nap, recharge. Although it may seem like there cannot possibly be enough time in the day, trust me there is.
Do something you love. It does not matter how amazing it looks on paper, what matters is you practicing an activity that you honestly care about. Just because you started a new club, were a three sport athlete and are student body president, doesn't make you a shoe-in for every Ivy league college. So why spend an exuberant amount of time on anything that at the end of your day you are just relieved to have over with? A college cares about a well-rounded student, someone who is passionate about specific interests, not an occasional stand-in baseball team manager.
Exercise every single day. High school is just about the toughest time in life in terms of your confidence level, so take care of yourself. Exercise will keep you active, keep you healthy, and is one of the best de-stressors you can do for yourself. It does not mean you must go for a six-mile run, but maybe just swing by your local gym and bring a friend.
Keep your family by your side. I know, I know, it is hard to not want to rebel against any adult figure that comes your way. But it's not worth it to scream at your dad and roll your eyes at your mom. It hurts them more than you will admit to yourself and it's not fair. Your mom will be able to give you the best advice out there, on any subject, she just always has the answer. And your dad will make you smile and will yell at anyone who hurts you in the slightest. As for siblings, fights happen, but do not let them be permanent. It may be hard to believe now but the cliché, your siblings are your best friends, is one hundred percent accurate.
You do not need to have a thousand best friends. Let's be honest, you never will. So many high school friendships are messy, infected with rumors and betrayal. Abandon them; you do not need more negative energy in your life. Have a few friends whom you can actually trust, they are the ones worth having. Instead be kind, smile at a kid who may not be popular, their days are just as complicated and hard as yours.
High school will not last forever. While it may seem like every year takes longer to pass and it is as if you are never going to graduate and get out of the place, you are not stuck, and the reward is entirely worth it. So for now, take each day as a new lesson on growing up, it is your job, and only you can do it.
Oh and contrary to what you might believe, prom night is not the best night of your life, trust me when I say, the best days really are to come.
