If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time in high school, it’s that this time of your life is short and goes by so fast, and it’s so important that you make the most of it.
For me, at the beginning of high school I was lame. I was obsessed with school work and spent a lot of time alone studying and doing homework. I was obsessed with my image on paper, even though it wasn’t even anything special.
Towards the end of my sophomore year, something in me clicked and I realized that I was wasting so much time and energy on basically nothing. I was rejecting hanging out with my friends to do what? Read a little extra? Overthink about my next math test? Worry about college even though it’s three years away? So I forced myself to stop overthinking about school. Of course I still put my all into my important assignments and studied as much as I could on my tests, and I did just as good and sometimes better than I did when I was obsessing over those things.
I started going out so much more. I went to everything my friends invited me to, I hung out with new people, and overall I was just happier. I was happier because I had finally found my balance. People put so much pressure on themselves and let others put so much pressure on them, but that’s stupid and you shouldn’t do that. Feeling pressured to be better than everyone else doesn’t actually benefit anyone. And it’s important to remember that you deserve a break. Going to a party every once in a while, or doing something spontaneous, or even just going out for an hour to get away from your stress will make your life so much easier. High school may feel like a competition, but it isn’t. As long as you show up, put in the best effort you can, and feel like you learned something, then I can assure you you’re doing fine.
My other learning experience of high school comes from forcing myself out of my shell early on, so I’ve experienced many types of people. In high school you’re around the same kids all day everyday, and eventually you see that different people have different groups. My advice is to not attempt to be a part of something if it’s not truly you. Don’t change your interests, your personality, or anything about your identity to seem more “appealing” to people. It’s human nature to want to be liked and it’s nothing new to see people in high school trying to find themselves and their place amongst hundreds of other kids, but there is no reason to change yourself to try to fit in. If you be yourself, casually and slowly introduce yourself to others, and stop trying so hard, you’ll find your footing.
If you just be yourself, you can find amazing people that you mesh great with. Speaking from experience, I began high school with a very different group of people than I am ending it with. As I grew and changed, so did my friends and the things I chose to surround myself with, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
High school can be exhausting, draining, hard, and overall just a weird experience. Despite that, you can take advantage of what it has to offer and take the time to find the fun in the annoying. I did that, and I’m happy to say that I’m leaving the school with grades I’m proud of, amazing memories, and incredible friends.
