Dear Delilah #1: Stressed About School

Q: Hi. I’m really stressed about school. How should I deal with it?

 

A: Everyone gets stressed about school! Due dates, tests, essays and assignments can sometimes get the best of us, and it can feel like you’re drowning under the pressure.

 

But there are things to do to get out of this anxious mindset!

 

First, a cliché. Will you be thinking about the assignment you’re stressed out about in 50 years? Probably not! Put your schoolwork into perspective. Even if you absolutely bomb a test or totally misinterpret “Oedipus Rex,” there will always be chances to better your grade. And even if there aren’t, it’s not like this one score is going to determine whether or not you get that college acceptance letter.

 

Second, try to plan out your time! Got a stats test, psych vocab cards, a book report, a physics lab, and a college algebra final all on the same day? Space out your work! Schedule when you will work on each subject so that you won’t find yourself pulling an all-nighter the night before it all due. If you know you need to start studying for the SAT, don’t veg out on the couch watching the latest episode of “This is Us!” Get those notecards out! You can even do homework and watch your show at the same time if you really cannot bring yourself to turn away from your show.

 

Third, talk with your friends about it. Are they going through the same situation as you? Ask them if they want to work on things together, or if they want to start a study group. Or just vent back and forth with them! You don’t have to be alone through the difficulties of high school.

 

And lastly, remember that you’re bigger than this. Sure, this may seem like the end of the world right now, but all of this stress will soon be in the past! And your hard work will pay off when you’re living it up at college!

 

But for now, give yourself some space. Don’t totally neglect school and resign yourself to dropping out and living under a bridge, but still take some time for yourself. Go see a movie, or go out to your favorite restaurant! Take a trip to a museum, walk along the beach or just simply put your favorite album on repeat and de-stress yourself. You are a complex, talented person, and you’re more than your schoolwork!