As a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and I’d like to shine light on an issue that may be plaguing others as it has plagued me. As the school year rapidly dwindles down for Seniors some of us may be feeling pressure about the uncertainty of our future. Where a year ago we knew that after the summer we’d go back to school and focus on preparing for the next school year, now we have to apply for college, find a job, maybe even new living arrangements. It’s a lot of change very quickly. It’s a very important time in our lives and will help determine our futures. 

As such, some of the seniors maybe overworking themselves to try and prepare for the unknown. Some seniors may be completely giving up or under-performing because of the stress. I myself have literally been losing hair over the matter.  According to a Raider Review survey, 50% of Eleanor Roosevelt’s seniors say that they are nervous about graduating. 50% aren’t. Some people are nervous because of the change in routine, or the fear of the unknown. The most common response I got was the fear of being unsuccessful.

The best thing to do is to try and manage your stress before it consumes you. Based on the responses to the survey that I sent out, our seniors aren’t dealing with the stress well. So allow me to extend an olive branch and offer some healthy ways to deal with stress.

1.  Talk about it!

There’s some stigma around talking about your feelings but it does tend to help. Talking to a friend or maybe even a teacher about your stress can help take the weight off of your shoulders.

2. Do fun stuff!

Get your mind off of it by doing things that you like to do. Going outside, playing video games, swimming, petting animals, anything that gives you dopamine. It’s important to do things you like, it’ll help with stress. I personally can attest to this.

3. Self-Care!

Speaking of brain chemicals, you need to make sure your brain works at its peak performance. It’ll help you think clearly, so please drink water, eat three meals a day (with snacks!) and try and get at least 8 hours of sleep. These seem unrelated, but your mind and body are linked! If your body is unhealthy your mind suffers, if your mind is unhealthy your body suffers.

4.  Don’t overwhelm yourself!

It’s very easy to try and tackle everything at once, to try and be completely ready by the end of the school year. But that’s kind of a destructive way to deal with your stress as it will just stress you out more. One thing at a time. Finish your classwork and tests before writing your college application essay, give yourself a small break after the school year ends before starting a summer job and enjoying graduation and prom instead of worrying about next school year. It’s okay, nothing is going to explode if you don’t finish your senior to-do list before June.

Before I end this article I’d like to thank everyone who answered my form and left feedback and comments. This is the advice that was left by those students.

“We’re going to be fine”

“Stay positive and fight through adversity”

“Everyone moves at their own pace! We’re all going in the right direction, try not to feel lost.”

“Definitely reach out for help if you need it, there are people willing to help you. If you don’t have it figured out, it’s ok we are all trying to do our best.”

“Don’t stress about the future.”

“It will all work out :)”

“Take it easy, and don’t think that it’s the end of the world. I don’t like thinking that “endings” could only be bitter, because that is not true. Think of this as a chapter of your life that as it began, it also did have to come to an end in order for a new (and hopefully better one) to come. This is a time where we should be finding ourselves, who we are and what we believe in. Therefore I encourage everyone to go for something that they wouldn’t even dare to try a year ago because that is the only way that we can truly grow. You got this :)”