We all love the idea of a fresh new school year, an unwritten page, calling our names for new opportunities. The beautiful season of fall is rolling around too — colorful leaves, hot chocolate, cider donuts, pumpkin everything, and stylish outfits. We envision this year of Straight A’s, a full night’s sleep, and balancing your personal life. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Some good news though, is that you control your sails and how you react. It is possible! So, let’s dive in!
This perfect school year is imagined, but when you get overwhelmed by school, it can feel like the world is crashing down on you and everything is on your shoulders. Motivation is a huge thing when it comes to school, or really any task. Even when you are at your lowest, with zero motivation, you must push through! You will always get through it! Envision yourself with all this time, and not utilizing it to study and become your best possible self. Even when you are not motivated and feel like laying in bed all day, you must give it your all. When you feel like giving up, is the moment you have to push the hardest and breakthrough. Staying on top of work is essential, if you miss one assignment, everything can feel like it is building up — So it is better to keep up with your work, and try to complete it to the best of your ability. This does not mean cheating, because cheating can only get you so far. What are those 5 points worth on homework, when your test is worth multiple times more? What works best for me is once I get home, I am still in the school mindset, I automatically begin my homework, which helps me go to bed early, or at least finish my work early enough to have plenty of time to study. Procrastination is not the answer, not ever.
Anxiety is common in school, and some people do not know how to cope with it. In fact, I struggle myself to keep my feelings under control. There are so many ways to calm yourself down though, while in the building, talk to an adjustment counselor, go on a walk, drink water, or even sit in the library for a few minutes. I found myself in tenth grade having anxiety attacks almost every day because of one specific reason, but once I found a way to regulate my emotions, there was a huge difference. It is better to know where and what you are doing each day, to help, you can purchase a journal, planner, set reminders, or know when to make time for yourself. With bad mental health, the process of school can feel intense.
Setting yourself up for success is important, you can do this by setting goals and continuously working toward them, this will keep you busy and motivated. Going into a school year with no goals, and expecting to get bad grades will only do you harm. Striving to be better will always benefit you in your favor. If you expect to do bad, you will do bad. If you expect to do good, you will do great. It is all about perspective.
A way to keep you busy during the school year and boost your high school transcript is by joining sports, clubs, doing community service, or any form of extracurriculars. The guidance office has a list of community service opportunities. There are so many sports to choose from, especially in high school. The good news is that it doesn’t even last the whole school year, just a season. So, if you want to commit to a sport, you can do that without having it with you the entire year. At the beginning of the year, there is a fair for clubs, where you can choose from many of Winthrop High School’s clubs.
One last thing is something that can change your day. Start the day with something positive! While you get ready, turn on your favorite song or watch a movie. If you are feeling down or just in need of some recognition, you can read positive affirmations. When you eat breakfast, make your favorite meal or grab something from a coffee shop. Just by looking forward to something exciting in the future can help your days go by faster.
It is really the simple things, and by following these tips, you will have a great school year! Good luck!
