Are You Over Scheduled?

After reading all the comments, I thought,"Wow,so I wasn't alone. There are others out there who have people telling them that they're doing to much." Doing too much can be defined differently depending on the peson's view. I,for one, think it means to have so many activities just for college's sake. High school is a time for change and experience, not stress and fatigue. I have my own personal workload with volunteering, club officer duties, and helping others. What I'm going to do is just live my life. So what if I want to be president of a few clubs while being sports? Or if I want to help others while strengthening my chances at going to college? When I was a high school freshman, I learned the cons and pros of a hefty workload. To others, I would advise to do what you can handle and say no once in a while.

The sad part about this is that there are people who do this and get to high-tier universities like Harvard and Yale. We who try to "balance it all out" may be content and healthy, but in the back of our minds we know that there is somebody out there who is doing twice as much as we are. I don't know how they run their lives, but I've tried it, and it's not pretty...

Well, for me it's just this week... I'm taking finals like crazy and I can't seem to find time to sleep. Even when I do I don't even sleep, I just lay there and think about all the things ahead of me. Sometimes life is so stressful! I don't regret taking college classes while in high school, but being only in high school makes me feel like maybe I shouldn't??? AHHHH! Yeah, I definitely don't have time to read this. Why am I not studying for my biology test right now? Boooo stress...

sounds like me. ugh. falling asleep in Gov't npot exactly a good thing ugh!!!!

I can totally relate to this. I only have 4 classes at school. But each one gives me so much homework. I have 2 honor classes. I have a part time job which I do 36hrs. a week. I'm Vice President of one of the clubs in my school. I pick up my mother from work which is 1am. I have to stay up to make sure that I pick her up. On top of that by the time I finish all my home work its almost 3am. and take my little brother to school each morning Everyday of my life is basically planned even when I don't plan it myself I have something to do. I try to keep my weekends open to hang out with friends and be a regular teenager.

Oh my gosh i kinda related to this.I have APs AND HONORS classes,takes classe online,involve in 4 school clubs which one i start my self, go to school at U.S.F on saturdays and i play a sport. oh gosh

I know exactly how everyone feels. My sophomore year, I pushed myself past the limits of any 16-year-old. I rarely got more than four hours of sleep per night, and I ended up being sick that spring and being benched during my softball section tournament because of whooping cough. It was one of the worst weeks of my life - my team was three runs away from state, but all I could do was watch. Junior year, my parents told me to lay off and pick my activities and classes more carefully. I couldn't bear the thought of quitting the sports, classes, and clubs I love, so being the stubborn kid I am, I didn't listen. I took even harder classes, and added yearbook editor to my list of responsibilities. In December, I got so fatigued and sick that I could barely function. I kept telling myself that all I had to do was make it until Winter Break and I could sleep and catch up on projects then. But three days before Break, I woke up with a really high fever. I had a rough draft of a big paper due in AP English that day, and I had been planning on waking up early to complete a final edit before school that morning. My eyes hurt so badly I couldn't look at my computer screen. I went back to bed and slept for eighteen hours before waking up and finishing the paper. Honestly, I felt so much better - I truly couldn't believe it. I slept four more hours, went to school, and realized that the few points I missed by being late with the rough draft were not worth my health. They didn't even bump my grade from an A! If I would have decided to fight through my fever and go to school the day I was sick, I probably would have reached the point where I was so incredibly sick, I would have missed holiday celebrations with my family.

That day last December was really my wake-up call. I realized that one has to find the balance between being busy and being so busy it's unhealthy. I am trying to get into the most competitive schools in the country, so I am still extremely active because I know that's what they're looking for - club officer, NHS member, editor, honor bands, AP classes, online college classes, volunteer work... I even added a part time job to my resume this summer. Life is nuts, but I've never enjoyed myself more than I did at the end of my junior year, this past summer, and so far my senior year. The trick was taking time last winter, over Break, to think about my choices and their consequences. Then I brainstormed ideas on how to enjoy myself and stay healthy, while still staying busy and successful.

SO HERE'S MY ADVICE: Take a mental health day! I know it's the beginning of the school year, so that's hard... maybe wait a month or so. But when the stress gets so bad you can hardly take it, find a day where you're not going to miss a test, a club meeting, an important deadline or a field trip, and sleep in! I don't know about everywhere else, but I know at my school, we get like five absences per trimester, and I've never used all of them. Last March, there was a day where I knew if I kept going at my normal hectic pace, I would fall into my old pattern of getting so sick I couldn't function. That same day, I felt like it would be a serious waste to go to school in the morning... none of my classes were doing anything life-changing. So the night before, I turned off my alarm, told my family I didn't feel good, and slept until noon. It works wonders, it really does. Once you've slept a lot, ate some good food, exercised a little, and played with your pet, use the rest of your mental health day to catch up or get ahead on any homework you can find. And within the next two days at school, if you're the type of student that's registered on Fastweb and reading this article and the comments, you'll have no problem catching up.

If you can't afford to take a mental health day (like for me, during softball season - if I don't go to school I can't play, or even practice), I've found a few other things that help me cope. Naps are the best! Sometimes, after a long day, I'll go home and sleep for a few hours before doing my homework, filling out scholarship apps, going to work, etc. It usually means staying up later than usual that night, but I feel rejuvenated, and I get the same amount of sleep total. Also, sleep is VITAL. I know you've probably heard it before, but if you don't believe it, experiment with yourself: go a week with six-plus hours of sleep per night, and go a week with less than six hours of sleep every night. I guarantee you'll see a difference in your attitude, your performance and your morale. When you're staying up late to finish an AP calc problem (I know how you feel!), ask yourself, "Are the two points I'll get for a correct answer on this, if a get the correct answer, really worth it?"

In addition, I've started keeping a detailed planner and making to-do lists. My planner ensures that I don't forget anything - no matter if you see yourself as organized or unorganized, you can't go wrong with a planner. Then, after school, I look at my planner to see what I need to put on my to-do list. I prioritize my to-do lists - the five minutes it takes to list what I need to do each night in order of importance totally pays off. It actually saves time, I think - when I switch from reading The Great Gatsby to logging onto my laptop to research Judaism, I know exactly what I'm doing next. Then, once done, I've found that physically crossing something off my list helps me recognize I am making progress.

My last advice is, if you feel like you need a job (which I do), find a job that works with your already crazy schedule. My friends and I discovered a semi-regular babysitting job is the best bet. This way, you have pretty steady income, and still have the freedom to set your own schedule. Plus, you can do your homework while at work!

Other things I've found that help with stress include taking walks, visiting with family, going for a drive with my windows down and the radio cranked, and finishing most of my homework during the week so I can do fun things with my friends on weekends.

Sorry this comment got so long... hope someone can take an idea away from this article and have a little bit less stress this school year! Especially seniors... I know the pressure's on, but don't miss a moment of this year - it's only going to happen once! Getting a B in AP Econ is ok - it's worth not missing your best friend's eighteenth birthday! Good luck, everyone!