Taking Care of Your Mental Health in High School
High school is hard. There’s so much to worry about: grades, your social life, what college you want to go to. Everything is always go, go, go, and it’s hard to find time to rest. You might feel overwhelmed, burnt out, and completely exhausted. If this sounds like you, it’s time to start prioritizing your mental health.
Keep Your Plate Small
We’ve all heard the term “I have too much on my plate” and maybe it’s because we have plates that are too big for us sometimes. Don’t take on more than you can handle; this includes taking too many AP or honors courses, joining too many clubs or sports teams, volunteering at the animal shelter too many times a week, or really anything that might take time away from relaxing and refueling. While it’s important to take rigorous courses, participate in extracurriculars, and earn volunteer hours, there’s no reason why you can’t spread these things out so you don’t run out of energy. Maybe take two AP courses instead of five if you know you’ll need to do a lot of volunteering that semester, or only join the soccer team if you aren’t planning to run for class president.
By taking on too much, you make it harder for yourself to do well in everything you have going on. You may be a star soccer player, but you might be under performing on the field if you’re spending the time you should be using to sleep to study for your APUSH quiz AND plan a student council meeting. Learn how to say no when you are already committed to a lot of other things; you’ll thank yourself later!
Have Someone to Talk To
Don’t feel weird about discussing your feelings; it’s incredibly healthy to let out your emotions. Whether it means seeing a therapist, talking to a guidance counselor, or having a heart-to-heart with a family member, it can be so freeing to get things off your chest. Bottling up your feelings takes a toll in ways you might not realize until it’s too late. Talking through your problems and letting go of your worries and fears leaves you with room to feel positivity and motivation.
Nourish Your Body
It’s easy to have a diet consisting of mostly junk food or one that just isn’t full of enough nutrients. Eating a balanced meal three times a day and doing an appropriate amount of physical activity each day is really helpful when it comes to feeling your best. If all you eat is microwaved meals and soda, you might feel low on energy and therefore not up to finishing that homework assignment due tomorrow. A healthy body makes a healthy mind. It’s important to do the best you can in order to take care of yourself.
If you’re looking for some help balancing your responsibilities, contact us for subject-specific tutoring, SAT/ACT programming, or college application guidance.