School days are long, and I personally know the pain of watching the seconds tick, simply trying to get through the day. Thankfully, as I’ve gone through almost three years of high school, I have found my own personal little hacks to help me.
One of the biggest things that I’ve found helps me is taking bathroom breaks. I take 5-minute bathroom breaks in all my classes throughout the day. However, I make sure that it is only 5 minutes so I am not missing key information. I do not recommend, or encourage, taking longer than 5-minute breaks because it shows disrespect and leads to a loss of trust between you and your teacher.
These 5-minute breaks are my form of “brain breaks.” Classes can become stressful, so simply stepping out for a few minutes and clearing my head has helped me significantly.
Making sure you eat breakfast, lunch, and have snacks in your backpack are some other things that are very important to me. Being hungry takes away from you being fully present, and as someone who gets very hangry, eating is very important to maintain a more positive attitude. Along with eating, you should make sure you are drinking water. Please bring a water bottle. It might seem fun to you to use your friends, but it is not practical. Making sure you are caring for your body and that you are energized throughout the day truly makes a noticeable difference.
Another personal trick I found that helps me is making sure I look and feel good. Getting up, doing my makeup, putting on a cute outfit, and doing my hair are all things that give me a stronger sense of overall confidence about myself. It also puts me in a better mood. While I still have my off days, and you can’t completely avoid them, doing this has made me have more good than bad days at school.
Another big thing that helps is making sure I prioritize sleep. Being tired does not help anything. Nothing is worse than staying up all night, getting little to no sleep, and then having that cycle repeat. Being more efficient with homework has helped me get to bed at a more reasonable time. Not being as tired also improves my mood throughout the day as I feel more energetic and more willing to work.
The last key thing that helps me throughout the school day would be talking to my friends during the passing period. I often find that one of my biggest struggles is going directly from one class to another. It all gets tiring very quickly: homework, tests, quizzes, or just overall not enjoying the content of a class. So between classes, simply standing with a friend and talking, smiling, and laughing, can uplift my mood.
Taking care of ourselves looks different for everyone. Try one of these tips and see how it works for you.
