I haven't had the chance to write a post for 10 days now due to work commitments but its gave me plenty of chance to think of a topic to write about. As you may know here in the UK many year 11s have just finished their final days of school life and well, have taken to facebook to either have a good moan about how they miss school already and their friends or how theyre so glad they have left that "hell" and have finally realised who their "true mates" are... so I bring to you Surviving Highschool.
I didn't have the best of or easiest time at school, there was tears, there was arguments and there was plenty of skiving. Looking back i feel like I learned a lot through my time and if it wasn't for all of those tough struggles and determination i wouldn't be who I am today. So im going to give you 6 tips based on my experience on how to get through school as smoothly as possible:
1) Be with the right people!
Meeting new people is one of the hardest things, especially when you're thrown into a completely new environment. But whats even harder is hanging around with people who make you feel worthless. Ditch those toxic friends and find people who bring out the best in you. The main aim of most teenagers school life is to be "popular", well let me tell you popularity isnt everything, it brings plenty of bitchiness. As i have gotten older i have found it much more satisfying to have very few true friends, the ones who understand and always stick by you.
2) Get your head down!
Its very easy to get distracted during your studies. You're in class, you're sat next to your friend, its hard not to have a good gossip about whats happening on facebook, but while you're chatting away you're completely missing what the teacher is saying. I did this a lot and when it came to completing work I struggled, I had no idea what to do and i darent ask the teacher for help as i had already been told many times to pay attention. Fortunately i was lucky when it came to the final exams, I managed to get all my predicted grades and higher! I know what its like when you're studying for 8+ subjects and you're thinking to yourself "whats the point im never going to use y=x+6" but trust me you will regret not giving it your all when you're older and youve finally thought of the perfect career you wish to pursue but cant because you dont have the grades to get into college. Its hard but just remember its all worth it in the end.
3) Always be open to trying new things!
During my school time I joined many after school activity clubs e.g dancing, cross country, athletics. As i got older and into my last few years i was asked to participate in many other extra curricular activities but didnt as i was afraid i would be seen as "uncool", i didnt want to draw attention to myself, so instead i just blended into the background. Boy do i regret it now, there was so many things i wish i joined in with, i would have had way more achievements to brag about! I was once asked to represent my region by joining their athletics team, of course i said no due to lack of confidence, but who knows i could have been the next Jessica Ennis... Okay maybe not, but i could have been successful in it. What i am trying to say is dont be afraid to get stuck in, dont worry about what other people will say or think, theyre the fools for not doing things they love!
4) Love yourself for who you are!
We're all guilty for reading the magazines and wishing we looked like all those A-list celebs or comparing ourselves to those pretty girls in the shopping mall, but what does that do? knock our confidence, make us find faults in ourselves and resulting in us wanting to change. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to clothes, makeup, hair etc so don't for one second think that your choices are wrong just because theyre different to the "popular" girls. In order for other people to love you, you need to love yourself, it doesn't hurt to show a little confidence and realise that you are beautiful by just being you.
5) Don't put too much pressure on yourself!
Opposed to what I said in number 2 ranting and raving about achieving those high grades, you also need to ensure you keep calm and don't put too much pressure on yourself if you feel as though you're crumbling. As long as you try your best that's all what matters, keep focused and everything should run smoothly.
6) BE YOU!
My final piece of advice is to just simply and plainly be you. "Be yourself" is the most common phrase in history when it comes to giving advice. But what do people mean by this phrase? Oscar Wilde once said Be yourself; everyone else is already taken this is a basic summation of the truth. Why try to be someone else when you can be you and build something new. You can grow into anything you want and go as far as you wish. In reality you need to please yourself before anyone else in order to be happy, and nothing is more important in life than being happy.
Okay so maybe this might not make sense at all but ive tried explaining my thoughts as clearly as I can. Teenage years are tough and even when you leave school it doesn't get any easier, infact it gets harder as you have to slowly make the transition into an adult. But that's a whole completely different story, which I might one day enlighten you on.
Misskeeleah
x
