Surviving High School: Tips and Tricks to Help You Get By

Written by: Ashley George

As I was looking through potential ideas for a stress-less trick to try out, there was one in particular that caught my eye– keeping a gratitude journal. There are many different ways to go about doing this, but the most common method is to write down all of the things you are grateful for in one long list. Examples of things to write down could be your family, friends, pets, teachers, and many more. Instead of writing down everything I’m grateful for in one day, I decided it would be better to write down one thing every day that I’m most grateful for to avoid repetition. I would also include why I was grateful for that thing or person to remind myself why it is important to me.

On the first day, I wrote about one of the most important things in my life– my family. I included a lot about how much my siblings and my parents inspire me to be a better person every day. As the eldest of four kids, I have a lot of responsibility to make sure that I’m setting a good example for my brother and sisters. For me, it was very heartwarming to write down why I’m so grateful for my family and all they do for me. For the rest of the week, I continued to write down one person or thing that I am thankful for every day. Taking the time to focus on something more positive, like the people that make me happy, was a good way to keep me from stressing out so much. I was able to direct my attention away from all of the schoolwork and assignments that I was stressed about, which helped me to feel better prepared to deal with them once I started on my homework. Instead of only focusing on all of the assignments and projects that I had to work on, I had the opportunity to think about the people and things that make me feel grateful.

I also decided to have some friends join in on trying this trick out with me. Overall, the response was positive, and they all seemed to have the same results that I did. Some preferred to remain anonymous, but Sheima Farjah said, “I believe that overall, writing a journal did help me slow down and reflect on all of the positive things in my life, instead of always running around and being stressed about everything.” When asked if she would continue to write down the things that she is grateful for in the future, she said yes, similarly to the other friends.

This stress less trick proved to be very useful for me and a lot of other students. I would recommend that you try it out for yourselves in any way that you would like. Whether you decide to write everything down in one day, or if you decide to space things out like I did, I hope that you will be able to take the time to reflect on all of the good aspects from your life to keep you from focusing on the bad. Happy journaling!

My rating out of five stars:

★★★★☆

Written by: Ashley George

Spring has sprung, and with the weather slowly becoming nicer as the weeks go on, I decided to try doing homework outside instead of just in my room. According to the American Heart Association, “natural environments can enhance cognitive abilities, like memory and problem solving,” so I figured that going outside would make a nice environment for studying and working on projects.

I typically just work in my bedroom where my desk is, so working outside was a nice change of scenery. The first day that I did this, it worked really well. I felt a lot more relaxed as I was working, and it was refreshing to breathe in the fresh air. However, the next day didn’t have the same effect that the first day did. There were some construction workers that were fixing the road down the street from me, and I had to listen to all of their tools making a lot of noise. I couldn’t focus on my work, so I decided to go back inside and try again the next day.

After that day, working outside was a lot more productive for me. The construction workers left, and I was able to focus better. Even just listening to the sounds of birds chirping in the distance or the breeze through the trees was very relaxing and helpful to hear when I was working on projects and studying for tests.

Overall, I would say that this tactic was successful, but it depends a lot on what the environment is like when you go outside to work. If there was bad weather, traffic, construction workers, or other distractions, doing homework outside would not be such a good idea. However, when it was sunny and warm outside, the environment made working very pleasant and refreshing. It all depends on what’s around you when you work.

My rating out of five stars:

★★☆☆☆

Thanks a Million

Here Comes the Sun