How to Manage Stress and Anxiety as a High School Freshman

How to Manage Stress and Anxiety as a High School Freshman

Starting high school as a freshman is an exciting milestone in your life. It's the beginning of a new chapter, filled with new experiences, opportunities, and challenges. However, along with these exciting changes comes the pressure to succeed academically, fit in socially, and figure out how to balance everything. For many, this can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety. If you are feeling this way, remember that you’re not alone. Almost everyone that I know has gone through this and made it out so know that you can do it as well! The good news is that there are multiple effective strategies you can use to manage this anxiety and still make your freshman year an enjoyable experience, despite the stress.

Understanding Stress and Anxiety as a Freshman

During your freshman year of highschool, you're entering a completely new environment with higher academic expectations, more responsibilities, and a greater sense of independence. During your four years here, you’re going to be learning how to be an adult and manage your own time better while navigating new social dynamics such as clubs and extracurricular activities. This can feel like a lot to handle, especially at first when you’re unsure how to manage everything. The feeling of anxiousness can be the cause of many new things like new friends, academic expectations, etc. These feelings are perfectly normal and ok to feel, but it’s also more important to address them early on so you don’t become overwhelmed by them. 

1. Being Organized to Reduce Stress

I think that one of the most effective ways to reduce stress is to stay organized. Make sure you don’t get to the point where so many pieces of your schedule are just all over the place so now your worries about missing something or falling behind. My advice when it comes to this is to have a routine. This means having a specific time everyday or every week where you clean up and organize your digital space and remove all the junk/spam texts or emails. By cleaning up your space regularly, you’ll feel more in control of your day which will make it feel less stressful. I also feel like most people don’t often talk about this but when so much of our world is online we should also get in the habit of cleaning our digital environment just as much as we clean our physical one. 

- Use a Planner: You could buy a physical planner or have a planner or to-do list app that can keep track of your assignments, tests, and deadlines for you. Organizing all your tasks regarding school work, extracurriculars, and personal life all in one place will help you stay on top of things. 

- Create To-Do Lists: Creating to-do lists is a great way to stay organized. You can break large tasks into smaller ones. This way, it is more manageable and you can focus on one thing at a time instead of focusing on everything all at once and becoming overwhelmed. 

- Prioritize Tasks: Sometimes, prioritizing tasks can make you feel horrible. Especially when there are a few things you really want to do but at the same time there are deadlines to meet and multiple assignments or projects that need to be completed. I actually struggle with this a lot, especially regarding my daily habits. For instance, more times than I would like to admit, I do my schoolwork, feel tired afterwards, and just never get to do the habits that I want to work on like journaling, reading, or practicing my spanish skills. Despite this, it’s still crucial to get what you need to do first. If you’re working with multiple projects or assignments, prioritize them based on deadline and importance. Doing the most urgent tasks first will prevent last-minute stress. 

2. Develop Healthy Study Habits

Academics in highschool is much more challenging in middle school. Because of this, it is normal to feel more tired and stressed, especially when you have multiple tests in the same week or schoolwork starts to pile up. The key to managing all this is to develop good study habits. Having healthy study habits can help keep you on track and make sure you don’t have a burnout. 

- Create a Study Routine: I especially recommend setting aside specific times each day for studying or completing homework. This way your brain will get used to this timing and be ready for study mode. Also remember that consistency is crucial to avoiding procrastination and reducing stress. It may feel difficult at first, but you’ll get used to it gradually.

- Find Your Best Study Environment: There are so many different study environments that it can be hard to figure out which one you work best in. If you live in a suburban area like me, there can be so many options. You can study in your bedroom, a library, coffee shop, etc. Identifying the environment you work best in will help you eliminate distractions and help you focus during your study sessions to help you make the most of it. 

- Take Regular Breaks: I know that YouTube, especially, can make it seem as though long study sessions are most beneficial, aesthetic, and work the best overall. However, long and uninterrupted study sessions can lead to burnout quickly. To fix this, there are many techniques that you can use such as the 52-17 rule, Pomodoro Technique, etc. When studying with the Pomodoro Technique, you study for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, and repeat. Then, after 4 rounds of this, you take a longer break. If you want to use the 52-17 rule, you study for 52 minutes and rest for 17 minutes. 

- Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help: The first year of highschool can be hard and if you’re having an especially hard time with this adjustment, falling behind and struggling with classes doesn’t help at all. If you’re in need of some help, definitely don’t hesitate to reach out to someone for help. This can be a teacher, classmate, tutor, etc. If you get help early, you can save yourself from falling more behind and it can reduce feelings of anxiety.

3. Take Care of Your Body and Mind

When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it’s easy to neglect your physical and mental well-being. However, taking care of your body and mind is essential for managing and reducing feelings of anxiety. When you take care of yourself, the rest of your life will follow along. You will start to look better, feel better, and feel more confident in yourself as a result. Especially when having large workloads, it’s important to not get drained so much that we no longer show up for ourselves when we need it.

- Get Enough Sleep: It’s really tempting to stay up late studying or socializing, but having a lack of sleep can make your stress and anxiety worse. Going to sleep for at least 7 hours a night ensures that you are well-rested and ready to tackle the day. After a long school day, sleeping can feel rewarding and is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It can refresh your mind and body so that tomorrow can be a better day than today.

- Exercise Regularly: Physical activity is a natural stress reliever as well as a great habit and there are so many options. Whether it’s a sport, going to the gym, or just taking a walk, exercise helps release endorphins. Endorphins are the chemicals in your brain that boost your mood and reduce stress.

- Eat a Balanced Diet: It’s important not to rely on junk food or little snacks and energy drinks to get through the day because they can make you more tired and anxious in the long run. Eating healthy foods actually nourishes and energizes your body for a long time. It can also help improve your energy levels and mood. 

- Practice Relaxation Techniques and Mindfulness: Being mindful of when you need to take a break and incorporating relaxation practices into your daily routine can help reduce and manage feelings of anxiety. Examples of relaxation techniques can be deep breathing or meditation. Digital tools could also assist you in relaxing and mindfulness. Apps like Headspace or Calm can guide you through techniques that will help you keep calm throughout the day.

4. Manage Social Pressure and Expectations

Having social pressures and even social anxiety for some is a common experience. You’re in a new environment and trying to fit in or finding your place in the school can feel difficult. The pressure to make new friends and be accepted is high and can lead to stress, but there’s always going to be someone who is willing to learn and accept you and there’s no need to rush. 

- Don’t Compare Yourself to Others: It’s easy to compare yourself to other students, especially when everyone else seems to be doing just fine, making friends, and adjusting while you just feel like you’re stuck in the same place. However, it’s also important to remember that everyone is on their own journey and has their own backstory that has led them to where they are today. There’s no one right or correct way to navigate this period of your life, so focusing on being true to yourself is honestly the best thing you can do.

- Embrace Your Interests: Never feel like you have to do something just because everyone else is doing it. You don’t have to feel like you have to change yourself to fit in. High school is the time to explore what you like to do, see what you’d be interested in doing in the future, and find supporting and encouraging people who share your passions. Participating in activities or clubs that align with your hobbies and interests will help you meet people who appreciate you for who you are.

- Be Kind to Yourself: Know that you’re going to make so many mistakes in these next four years and that it’s perfectly ok and normal. Freshman year, especially, is a time of learning and growth. Give yourself credit for trying even though you won’t get everything right immediately, and remember that it’s completely normal. Be patient with yourself. You’re doing your best.

5. Stay Positive and Focus on What You Can Control

High school can feel so overwhelming at times, but focusing on what you can do to change this situation can help ease feelings of anxiety. It’s easy to get caught up in worries about grades, friendships, etc. But know that the best thing you can do right now is to control your actions and attitude towards the difficulties you are facing right now.

- Practice Positive Self-Talk: I know this can seem kind of weird and useless to people who haven’t tried it and aren’t used to this, however, it’s a great way to start your morning. Negative self-talk, such as “I’m a failure” or “I can’t do this”, especially in the morning, can ruin your entire day. It also fuels your anxiety and makes certain situations feel much worse than they actually are. It may seem trivial, but replacing thoughts like “I’m terrible at this” with “I can improve if I keep trying” honestly helps brighten your day. Encouraging yourself can help boost your confidence and reduce stress overall.

- Set Realistic Goals: One thing I struggle with is setting realistic goals. It’s so easy to say you’re going to do all this stuff but then never do it and feel incredibly bad about it. However, it’s best to not overwhelm yourself by aiming for perfection and trying to do everything at once. Setting achievable goals for your academics, social life, and personal growth, may seem small, but are crucial to success.

- Be Flexible: More often than you may think, things won’t always go as planned, and you’ll have to find a way to get back on track. Being adaptable and willing to adjust when necessary will help you handle challenging times with less stress.

Conclusion

Being a freshman in highschool comes with its share of challenges, but with the right strategies, you are able to manage stress and anxiety effectively. Being organized, developing healthy habits, taking care of your physical and mental wellbeing, managing social expectations, and focusing on what you can control can all reduce feelings of stress and will enable you to navigate highschool with confidence. Know that it's okay to feel stressed at times, but what matters is how you handle it. High school is just the beginning, and while it is definitely tough at times, it’s also a time to learn more about yourself, build lasting friendships, and grow into the person you’re meant to be. Keep going—you’ve got this!

**𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚕𝚘𝚝**