With the start of the school year, I have witnessed an epidemic of junioritis—the result of an intense workload, standardized testing, hours of extracurricular activities, and the ever-daunting, quickly-approaching college admissions process.
I wish I could tell you, my dear juniors, that all of that stress disappears senior year—that you will have time for a social life and that you will be confidently sending off your applications to your colleges of choice. But while some seniors have expressed relief over the closure of junior year, as a senior, I feel more stressed than ever.
However, I realize that it is not “senior year” itself that is stressful, but rather, the conditions I have created for myself.
Laguna breeds many over-achievers—people who self-select conditions that cause them both anxiety and joy.
I am one of the many Laguna students who have mastered the art of over-committing—having too many interests and lacking adequate time to devote oneself fully to any of them.
The primary symptom of this condition is, of course, stress.
While our mental and physical health must be our priority, I believe that stress is a good thing.
Stress breeds success; it is the result of our wanting to do something better or accomplish much more.
So to my dear juniors who are feeling the heavy weight of a full course load, standardized testing, and extracurriculars, I have some advice for you: embrace stress.
Immerse yourself in the things you enjoy, and allow the stress you feel to aid your success in those areas.
There are certain hoops we are bound to jump through whether we want to or not.
Since stress itself it unavoidable, seek out stressors that you enjoy. Do not do mock trial simply because you want extra credit in Ms. Elliott’s class; do it because you are interested in the law.
Do not sign up for every Laguna club because you think that college admissions officers will be impressed; seek out the clubs that align most with your interests.
If you pursue activities that you are passionate about and allow the stress that accompanies these commitments to motivate you instead of hinder you, you will succeed.