Ever since freshman year, upperclassmen have warned you about junior year. Well, the time has come, and unfortunately, the rumors are true. I am not going to sugar-coat it: junior year is stressful. Juniors are swamped with ACT/SAT prep, sports games, club meetings, drama rehearsals…and on top of all of this, they are still expected to complete about three hours worth of homework a night and study for two exams the following day. Just writing that sentence stressed me out!  

With the abundance of holiday parties and visiting relatives, it seems as though you should already be on the college search as a junior. The number of questions I received about my college list, ACTs, SATs, extracurriculars, GPA…is honestly painful. There were times when one of my grandpa’s friends or a second cousin I’ve never met asked where I was looking, and I would literally make up that I was already committed to the first school that popped in my head. This lie was told just so I could get out of the grueling test scores/GPA/college-list conversation.

With all of the stress piling up, it may seem as though it is impossible to get out this rut. But, we can. After seeing my close friends down five cups of coffee a day and hearing one of my classmates yelp that she has had nine tests in the past week, I knew that something had to be done, soon. So, I decided to ask some fellow stressed-out juniors to tell me how they are surviving junior year and combined them into a full junior year survival guide.

Tip #1: Sleep. Ever since 5th grade health class, you have probably heard that sleep is very important for your body to grow and for your health. According to a study from Huffington Post, “Over 90 percent of American high school students are chronically sleep-deprived.” Not getting enough sleep takes a dramatic toll on your body, both physically and mentally. I know this is hard; you just finished two hours of AP bio notes and all you want to do is watch “Gilmore Girls” until three o’clock in the morning. So start small, no matter your usual bedtime, try going to bed an hour earlier for a week and see how you feel. I can almost guarantee that you will feel better about yourself.

Tip #2: Eat well. Picture this: you have just suffered a long day of school and are finally home (and hungry.) Would you rather go for the snickers bar and bag of Cheetos or the smoothie and granola bar? If you didn’t say the snickers bar, you’re not human. Everyone wants to pig out on fattening snacks when they are stressed, but the negative effect on your body says otherwise. Along with this, comes exercise. Take a moment to get outside and go for a jog and you will feel so much better about your body, trust me. If you feel better, you will do better.

Tip #3: Breathe. This seems like a simple one, but it’s more than that. I know, personally, that I have gotten to the point where I feel like it is humanly impossible to get all of the work done that I have to. This is where this Oxygen intake comes in. Take two minutes out of your schedule, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself that you can do all of this work and you will do it.

Tip #4: Write it down. I use this tip almost every time I feel that sickening sense of stress heading my way. I write a to do list on a post-it and stick it to my desk. Writing down everything you have to do is a perfect way to manage your time and get all of your work done. And crossing off the things you have done so the list narrows down is probably one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Tip #5: Music. When you do have that minimal amount of free time during your week, I recommend making a playlist full of some of your favorite songs, either peaceful tunes or pump-up classics. If you don’t want to make your own, I thoroughly recommend the “Peaceful Piano” playlist on Spotify for studying. Some of my friends will listen to throwbacks like “Hannah Montana” or some old Justin Bieber to get pumped to take a test, and although it’s weird… it works. Use music as a way to focus and concentrate on your work while listening to some of your favorite bands or artists.

Tip #6: Love yourself. This is very important as you go through your day-to-day life as a junior. Try to forget about what other people think of you and do not compare yourself or your grades to others. Don’t ask others what they got on a tricky quiz because the competition will only lead to more stress. Love yourself and set personal goals for yourself. If you do this, I promise that the burden of stress will be relieved.

So, to all of you stressed- out juniors and to those who still have to experience the joy of junior year: have some fun, don’t stress so much, and you got this.