The Mycenaean

Sometimes I just want to scream from the stress of senior year. Seriously, the pressure becomes increasingly intense as the year progresses. So much responsibility lies upon the shoulders of seniors that some completely collapse under the pressure.

Seniors start to lose their motivation and begin procrastinating more and more until they are so behind on both schoolwork and college applications that they just drop out completely. Some students just drift through their senior year, going through the motions but not truly caring.

Each year, this happens again and again; seniors’ grades drop lower, along with their expectations, some choosing “easy” classes so that they won’t have to work hard.

I don’t know about other seniors, but my year has been crazy already. Between scholarships and college applications, competitions, schoolwork, and after-school activities, I have very little time in between for other priorities, like my job. I feel like this is the same story for other seniors too.

So now the question to answer is this: how do we defeat this infectious “disease” known as senioritis?

I found this great article about the four different types of stress by Dr. Albrecht, and it has been very useful in helping me to manage time. Learning about these types of stress and how to manage them can help relieve the burdens that we carry.

The first type of stress that Albrecht discusses is time stress. This is when people worry about time or the lack of it, and try to cram everything that needs doing into one day.

To overcome time stress, you must first learn how to manage time. By making to-do lists or using a large calendar to pencil in everything that is needed, Albrecht says that it serves as a useful remember your important commitment.

Next, Albrecht says to make sure that every responsibility is prioritized. If something is very important and needs to be done, he suggests that you make sure it is put into order, and done at the time when you are most alert.

For some people, nighttime is the best time to work, because they are more alert then. Others are most alert in the morning, some in the afternoon; the best way to work, Albrecht says, is to find the time that works best and utilize it.

The next type of stress is anticipatory stress. People experience this kind of stress when they are fretting about the future, or a certain event in the future. The key to defeating this is known as “positive visualization”.

Albrecht says that instead of expecting the worst to happen, imagine success; to overcome that fear of failure and find some confidence, he says to fight that pessimistic urge by forcing out some optimism!

My own advice is to put all distractions away and cut the “social cord” while doing homework. After completely disconnecting by turning cell phones off and turning off facebook, try studying, and you’ll find it much easier. I know this is difficult, but it is an essential part of fighting senioritis.

I always try to find something to keep me on topic so that I won’t return to social media, whether it be music or having something to munch on while I work. Try doing this to stay focused.

Senioritis can be overcome. It won’t be easy, especially as the year progresses, but by beginning now, seniors can have a head start on remaining focuses and stress-free for the rest of their senior year.