How to Survive Highschool

 

WHAT TIME IS IT? SUMME- scratch that, it's back-to-school time. Hell yes. School lunches, oversized jumpers that smell like mould, headaches and low energy levels. And although coffee has magical powers that keep you awake during those crummy maths classes, it's just not enough to help you survive. But hey, there has to be some way of going through the next few years of life without collapsing into a pile of books never to be found again, no? 

Well, with a lot of personal experiences, coffee and multiple ingenious moments in the shower, I have managed to gather together the five wonderful bundles of advice I speak about below. You are about to be shown the life changing secrets of a highschool master. Enjoy!

energy

Whether you're up against a life altering exam or just facing into yet another day at the office, you're not going to last the day if you're not packed full of positive thoughts, confidence and energy. To keep my energy levels sky high, I like to start my day with an antioxidant-packed green tea or a scrumptiously healthy breakfast smoothie (like this one here) and if I'm ever in need of a nutritional boost between classes I like to nibble on a TREK bar (preferable peanut flavoured!). These awesome bars are not only gluten, wheat and dairy free, making them 100% vegan, but they also have (wait for it) a grand total of 10g of protein per bar. WHAT?! Perfection.

friends

OK, I know this one's a given, but you can never have too many friends, right? The more the merrier. Smiles all 'round. Whoop-de-whoop. Sadly, however, making friends can be harder for some than it is for others, and that can be really tough if you're heading into a completely new year (let alone a new school). One piece of advice that I have for you, though, is to branch out. Burst from your comfort zone. This may be doing something as simple as saying hi to someone in Physics class or even talking to that girl with the freckles and plump nose who sits beside you in Spanish, but once you do it you will feel 100 times better. 

Don't stick with the same person/ group all of the time. Although they might be the sweetest people you've ever met, they can change. So make friends with lots of different people, spread out, be confident. Smile. And I promise you, everything will be fine.

be organised

This does not mean you have to run around as chairman of each and every club of your school, do everyone else' homework and wake up early every Thursday to bake teacakes for tomorrow's fundraiser (unless, of course, you want to). Being organised and on top of your game is one of the key factors to staying positive and stress free and, overall, happy. You can do this by keeping a sharp eye on time (to hand in projects, go to class, finish assignments) and making lists (this pushes you to be more productive in general, and once you've ticked off all that you've planned to do the satisfaction and relief feel amazing!). I also have a blogpost about being more productive, so why not check that out?

 

take photos

Purely for good times, memories and the joys of being young!

take time off

Relax. School is not all about study, books and snotty-nosed teachers. Make time in your day to chill out and forget about any stress that comes with the highschool package. Read a book, listen to your favourite toonz, take a break, and come back with a fresh mind, ready to fight again.