F is 4 Friends
By Marisol Fraguada
Personally, something that’s helped me maintain my sanity through all the rough parts of school is knowing how to divert attention from what’s bothering me. For example, If I’m studying for a math test and just can’t get a certain problem right no matter how hard I try, or I'm writing a paper and just can’t make it sound quite right, it’s super easy to get frustrated and overwhelmed and not get anything done at all. When I feel like that, it's good to be able to turn to things I enjoy— that can cheer me up and relax me at pretty much any time. Something that diverts my attention and doesn’t necessarily put pressure on me to uphold a standard or meet a deadline. For me that thing is drawing. I’m not particularly skilled, and I usually don’t hold on to anything I draw, but it makes me happy to use it as a tool to chill out, and once my head is clear I can put it down and try what I was doing again.
The opposite situation is also one I find myself in often— being caught up in doing something mindless like watching tv when I have other things to do. It helps in those times to have an obligation with a deadline. Not one in the near future, but it should be a finite task to complete, and should be something you care about a lot. For me that thing right now is making my college spreadsheet. It’s easier to make myself work on that first, when I’m feeling lazy, and then switch to completing my history final, than jumping straight from A to B. If I can’t manage to pull myself out of a slump, school just gets more and more overwhelming, feeding the desire to do nothing until I’ve fallen super far behind. That being said, if you find yourself in a long term slump, you can always recover from it in time.
This brings me to my third strategy— half assing. Obviously the best thing to do is to complete your work to the best of your ability always, and take breaks when you must to ensure it gets done well. But if you’re ever in a situation where the energy to do something well won’t come no matter how much you rest up, something is always better than nothing. A 50% on a crappy English paper is oodles better than a 0 for never turning it in. Working out for 10 minutes a day is better than napping all week. And turning in ½ assignments on time is better than turning in both late. Doing these things is how I’ve managed to complete junior year without ever having to scramble to make up assignments at the end of the year. Good luck
