Overcoming the Winter
Winter time. Enough said. Maybe the freshman out there are learning for the first time the absolute struggle of this time as a high schooler- if so, sorry, you guys have longer than all of us to go.
For some reason teachers have mutually agreed on this time of year to be the appropriate time to lay on all of the work. In my past experience (and it has continued into this year) the tests start getting harder. A lot harder. Essays become more intricate and the time to complete them seems to be shorter than before. Winter sports are just beginning, and the tryout period can be rigorous. On top of all that, teachers think its a good idea to just add on “a quick packet of reading” or “a helpful little work sheet” or “just an extra chapter” for homework- basically work that has no actual point but teachers find absolutely necessary to assign, eating up even more hours of your time.
Yeah, the end of the semester is a doozy, but the good news is Christmas Break is right around the corner; and that is over two weeks of no school. But if that isn’t enough to help you out, hopefully a few of these tips and tricks will get you through the rest of the month.
Use your time wisely: A statement you’ve probably heard a hundred times but do you ever really put it to good use? What I mean when I say this is to take advantage of your down time. If you find that you have a day of light homework or if your life is magic, a day with none, take that time and try and complete a future assignment. Even getting one done could really help you out in the long run. However, if you really aren’t feeling the work, try and just go to bed extra early. Getting enough sleep can be hard with full workloads and jam-packed schedules, sometimes an extra hour can help to reduce your stress.
Eat Healthy: It can be difficult to maintain a consistent diet during the school year, but doing so can be really beneficial to your body. Sometimes packing a granola bar or a bag of grapes in the morning to eat in between breakfast and lunch can help boost your energy and focus during the day. You could also pack healthy snacks to replace all the unhealthy ones that you might buy at school (but a cookie from the cafe here and there doesn’t hurt). Overall it is important to remain consistent. Eat breakfast, don’t skip lunch, etc. Try and also make sure when you’re consuming these meals that they are balanced. This means checking off all those food groups, maybe not in every meal, but try to sneak them all in sometime throughout the day!
Hydrate: Hydration is a key component to life. Keeping up with it can really improve your everyday life. Drinking water is good for your skin, promotes healthy weight, boosts your immune system (super important during flu season), it puts you in a better mood, and helps keep your energy levels high. Basically drinking water just helps your body work and be its best self. So don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle to school and keep refilling it.
Make Time for Yourself: It is super important to remember amidst the stress of work and school that fun is out there, so make time for what you enjoy! Maybe take a few hours off on the weekend to watch a good movie or curl up with a pleasure read. Schedule time to hang out with your friends, go somewhere fun, experience new things. You cannot let school get completely in the way of your best life. Remember: you’re only young once!