The stress of the junior year. By this time most of us are worried as we have already decided if we want, or we don’t want to go to college. If you are someone who does not want to go to college you are still stressed, because: what are you going to do after high school? Our school does offer certain CTE pathways, but not everyone shares the same interests. It is awesome if you find a passion in welding or construction but not everyone will. Most of us were raised with the expectations that they could be societal expectations or self-expectations. Both types of expectation can make one feel devastated if they are not achieved. Then there is the other scenario, the one for those who are going to college. Right now, most of us are drained. This is the year high school gets serious, and it is not mental health friendly. Did you take the SAT? Are you taking AP classes? Do you already know what you want to be when you grow up? Or talking in a shorter term, are you ready for senior year, all the college applications and possible rejection? There are so many questions, but they all have draining answers. My advice to you is to stress only to a necessary level. Your SAT score will not kill you. A grade does not define your life. You have your whole life to find what makes you happy, what you truly feel a passion for. Maybe we will face rejection from places we did not expect them to come from, but this will lead to the place we belong. It is normal to feel stressed, but for now, focus only on what you have control of. Finish that homework, ask questions, go out with your friends, connect with people, and explore things that you find interesting! Enjoy your high school years and have fun, these years will become part of your past in the future, and you will not remember that C you got in a class, or that test you did not pass. You will remember that trip to the beach you did with your friends. You will not remember how many AP classes you took, but you will remember how fun those classes were because your friends were there, or simply because you really liked your teacher. For all of us overachievers, stress about that thing you can finish today, not about that thing that will not change even if you try your hardest to change it. Remember that high school is only a moment in your life, it is not your life, and in the future, it will not be your life at all, so at least enjoy it.