Advice Column

The reality of high school is not at all what the Disney channel movies we watched as kids made it out to be. Instead of school dances, bake sales, and random bursts into song, we have tests, loads of homework, and more tests. Because high school can be extremely stressful, it is essential that students learn the proper skills and coping mechanisms to help them through these four challenging years.

An important skill that all students should practice is time management. Students are oftentimes overwhelmed with many homework assignments they need to complete and plenty of tests they need to study for. It is significantly more overwhelming when you’re a procrastinator, like most of us are, and wait until the last minute to complete a substantial amount of work. For this reason, learning time management is crucial to relieve stress and get your work done in a timely manner. You can start by buying an agenda and writing down all the tests and homework you have that week. Then, you can schedule specific times throughout the week to study for your tests, ensuring that you’re not doing everything in one night. The following is an additional tip to keep you calm and collected after a long stressful day at school: every night before you go to sleep write about something good that happened that day and something you’re excited for the next day. This helps you end the day on a good note and wake up with something to look forward to. Practicing these coping strategies and learning new skills to improve your work ethic can make your high school experience much less stressful. You should definitely try it out!