Going into senior year, everyone told me how chill and easy it's going to be, so I had high expectations for senior year. But was I wrong?

The past two months of my senior year have been nothing but stress. I feel like there is a lot of hype around senior year that makes it seem so fun, easy, and stress-free. What people don't talk about is everything you still have to do in senior year to reach that few months of fun, though.

The process of doing college applications, writing essays, and keeping up with my grades has been more and more difficult. I noticed how I was having a harder time doing my work than the last few years of high school, even junior year.

This made me wonder: Am I experiencing Senioritis, or am I finally burned out?

In high school, teenagers are doing so much that it gets to the point where it's too much. Grades, sports, extracurricular activities, friends, relationships, social media, and family all demand time and attentiveness. There is just not enough time in a day to do all the activities expected.

The school system needs to realize that it is hurting teens physically and mentally.

So many students are losing sleep and sleep deprivation because of the amount of work they get in school. No sleep equals more stress, anxiety, and a dip in the state of one's health. I have talked to my doctor, and she had shared a story about one of her patients who got so sick and stressed because of school that he could not attend school for three years. The stress and anxiety caused by schools is becoming a rising epidemic that needs to be addressed by the Board of Public Education.

Now, back to answering my question about if I am just having Senioritis or am seriously burned out.

I definitely am burned out from the last three years of work I have done. I know this because I still have motivation to get my work done and go to my extracurriculars. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way.

The way to fix this problem is for the school board to reduce the amount of curriculum or get rid of so many AP classes, and decrease the high expectation that is set on teens. Better support and health education will lead to finally breaking the horrible cycle of stress and burnout in high school students.