Senior year.
The last year of high school, where bad decisions that were made the years previously catch up to where you stand now. Applying to colleges, scholarships, and financial aid are the #1 priority, as well as keeping up good enough grades to get into that one school that you've been eyeing since sophomore year. Underclassmen seem to get more unbearable the higher in the food chain you go, and assignments are much harder than previously expected.
I've heard horror stories from my previously graduated friends, but also seen the freedom that seems to only come to seniors. Mentally preparing myself for all the drama, classwork, but most of all, stress, I walked through the double doors to my school.
When I signed up for three AP (advanced placement) classes, I didn't know what to expect. I had seen my friends from the year previously sacrifice their mental, physical and emotional health in order to pass their multitude of AP classes. Trust me, it was not pretty. Several of them were only surviving due to an unhealthy amount of caffeine and sugar. I vowed to myself I would not become like them, and I would keep that for the rest of my senior year.
In order to keep my promise, I started out the year using three techniques that I will likely keep for the rest of the year.
1. PLAN EVERYTHING
I planned out my outfits every night so that in the morning I could just slip them on. I made my lunch the night before and if something needed to be heated, then in the morning as well. The minute I walked through my front door, back into the safety of my home, I changed into my pajamas and took off all my makeup, ready to work on homework. Even the plans I had for the weekend were planned several days in advance. I let nothing take me by surprise and left enough time open in my schedule, just in case something did come up. Every day, I brought way too much food in case I got hungry and one of my friends didn't have lunch.
For me, the easiest way to avoid stress and unnecessary hassle is to just plan. Planning also forces me to not procrastinate and make sure I actually have time for a social life.
2. TRY TO KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
This is something I struggle with quite a bit during the school year. Unfortunately, I had also injured myself two days before school started and still am unable to lift very heavy things or play my instruments. Starting out the year being positive was quite hard. Keeping an open mind and following this definitely helped for me to not be as negative as I can be. Surrounding myself with positive people and those who really bring me up definitely helped. Even in the darkest situations, those closest to me can always lift me up.
Cutting out a lot of toxic people in years previously has definitely made my senior year have a much better start than all my other years combined. I am proud to say my closest friends are some of the best people on the planet.
3. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
You can bet I pampered myself every night when I got home from school. It's quite important to me that I look after myself. High school can get rough and it's only a matter of time before I'm off to college, so securing a routine where I look after my health is beneficial for not only my physical well-being but my academic success. It's pretty difficult to maintain good grades if I can't focus because I'm hungry and/or exhausted, so it's just much better to avoid being in that situation in general. Taking care of myself includes taking my medication on time and visiting my doctor regularly. Having an autoimmune disease requires a lot of maintenance but keeping it in check is much easier than having it flare up.
Treating myself like royalty is something I try to do once a week, even when I'm not in school. It's important to primp and pamper myself just for the sake of pampering, the act is very soothing and stress relieving.
To all of those going back to school: I wish you the best year possible and I hope you have lots of new experiences.
