Hi, everyone! My name's Olivia or Liv, and I'm here to talk about something almost all of us under 18 have to go through every year.
That impending doom you feel when you realize that tomorrow is the first day of school.
While I'm aware some people that do look forward to getting back into a routine, I, for one, dread that first week back like none other. It's not so much that I hate school, it's just the overwhelming stress that comes along with it.
Keeping up with grades and deadlines, toxic people, bullies, strict expectations and rules, and just the anxiety of being around so many different people are some things that stress me and many others out throughout the school year.
I've had my fair share of bullies over the past few years, especially in middle school. I live in a very tight-knit community where everyone seems to be family and related to each other but me. Thus, everyone in my school treats me like an outsider. Which, technically, I am, since both of my parents are from out of town.
My school, the only one in the area, is also very sports-oriented. Having a medical disability to where you can't run right is not a desirable quality in a sports-oriented school, I've learned. This has lead me to be a target of many taunts throughout the few years, because who wants that girl who can't do anything right playing on their PE football team? Who wants to be friends with the girl who can't participate in anything with you?
At least, that's how my school sees things.
I try not to let things like that bug me. The awkward looks people give me when they see the way I walk. When they whisper back and forth, trying to figure out what's wrong with me. Especially when they confront and demand, "Why are you walking on your toes like a little ballerina?" and have the entire group around them burst into laughter.
It's not fun.
Those aren't the only things that lead to drama. I'm also a bit of a book nerd, and that's another thing that isolates me at my school. I've had girls tell other girls to avoid me like the plague because they'd be disowned by the school if caught hanging out with me. I've had girls get into full-scale arguments over who had to be stuck with me for their science partner. I've been slammed into a wall, shoved over a desk and onto the floor, slapped in the face in the middle of class. You name it.
I'd often come home crying almost every afternoon, dreading going back the next morning. In addition to all this trouble with other people, I've always worked my hardest to stay a straight A student, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that grades are extremely difficult to keep up.
And then there's all the deadlines, projects, teachers, rude people, lunch food, and a million other things that we all hate dealing with.
Sometimes it gets to the point where we just can't take it anymore. We want to give up.
Sometimes it's just torture.
Well, I'm here to tell you that giving up should not be an option. Sometimes school and people at school can just be the most frustrating things in your eyes. But if you never go, you never learn, and without learning, things will be even more difficult than they were before.
But if you do learn, you can grow stronger than you ever had before.
And I'm not talking about schoolwork. We learn to set routines. We learn to get along. We learn who to trust. We learn who we are, and what we can do to improve ourselves and the world around us.
Like I was saying, school is so stressful. I don't even know what to do half the time. But here are some tips that help me:
- Eat breakfast
- Keep a planner
- Make friends that will love and support you
- Find a teacher or an adult you trust to help you in times of need
- Stay organized
- Never give up!
You will get through this. School is always stressful, but you are strong. You can get through this. Have faith in God. He will get you through this.
Keep your head up and smile.