Do you remember the last ten days of elementary school? You know, how the seventh day was funky hair day, the third day was pajama day and so on. But now it seems like the last ten days of school are the worst ten days of your life.
Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can all agree that the final days of school are harder to get through than any other time of the year. With teachers cramming in projects and leftover units, it seems as if the work for all our classes is overloaded. Even seniors have tests and projects due on their last day of school. And when it seems like you finally turned everything in, (and unless you’re a senior) guess what, you still have final exams. Junior Georgia Papadatos is one of the many sufferers. “My teachers have been piling on homework and projects, we only started studying for finals on Tuesday. It’s unnerving because there’s a lot of pressure to do well, especially this year because these grades are the ones colleges will be looking at.”
What’s worse is the fact that the weather is getting warmer, meanwhile you’ve got a history project, three tests, and a Junior Theme to work on. Junior Lucija Antolovic, who just turned in her Junior Theme, has been feeling the pressure, “Balancing the work in my other classes with the work for my Junior theme has been a pretty stressful time. And it’s hard to focus on my work when it’s so nice outside.” Amidst all this chaos, students are trying to balance their athletic and extra-curricular lives with this mass of work. However, there is a way to balance out the stress, which is something we all need this time of year.
History teacher Kerry Hall said, “The best advice is old fashioned: plan ahead, try not to procrastinate, and talk to the teacher ahead of time if you are feeling really stressed out.”
First off, setting a goal for yourself so that if you work hard now it’ll pay off later can help you to get through any amount of work. Organizing your time carefully and spacing out the amount of work you do every night will help prevent cramming the night before it’s due. It will also give you more time to revise your work and ensure that you do a good job on it. Or don’t, you’ll probably end up saving it all for the last night anyway, because you were too busy watching reruns of “Reno 911.”
Since sitting inside and typing up a paper while it’s sunny and 80 degrees outside is probably worse than typing the actual paper; do it outside. Take your homework outside and enjoy the weather as you chip away at your ten page paper about socioeconomic changes in the mid-1920’s. Maybe even lather up the tanning oil and work on your skin cancer while you’re at it.
Another great stress reliever is working out. Yes, it may sound cliché and like something a kinetic wellness teacher would say, but working out has been proven to make people happier. Getting your heart rate up and sweating releases endorphins, which boost your mood and makes it easier for you to focus and stay awake. So take your pet ferret for a jog or pump some iron with that big sweaty guy at the gym before you deal with that pile of work waiting for you- you’ll be able to focus on and get through it all faster.
Whether you have that Junior Theme to work on or a huge test coming up in history, remember that managing your time and relieving your stress will pay off later. Summer is just around the corner so keep calm and study on.