Guest Post: 10 Tips to Surviving High School

I am so excited to have my girl, JSC, write a guest post for me! JSC and I have been close friends for 7 years now! She's always been a huge supporter of my blog and I was so delighted when she sent me this post. 

JSC is currently a senior (!!!). Ideally, her post is all about surviving high school... I couldn't agree more with all of these tips, and I wish I had known them before I started high school. Check it out!

It’s definitely the best and the worst of times. High school is hard. It’s stressful and sometimes just too much to handle. There are mean girls and your best friends. Sometimes your best friends turn out to be those mean girls. Boys always seem to pose a distraction to schoolwork. Teachers are crazy. High school is definitely an experience you will never forget (even if you do want to forget it). As a senior graduating soon, I wanted to share some of the things I learned.

1. You’re smarter than you think! Everybody seems to stress over schoolwork like crazy these days! When you feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath. You can do it and school isn’t worth the tears. Trust me.
2. If you aren’t comfortable doing something, don’t do it. If you don’t want to go to that party, don’t. If you don’t want to hook up with that boy your friends are pushing at you, don’t. Stick to your morals. Your future self will thank you.
3. Save your best outfits for big days. I know many people like to dress down during days with a lot going on, but I’m the opposite. I have always found that I am more confident in a good outfit. When I have big tests, I try and wear clothes that make me feel confident. It gives me that extra boost to get through that math test! 
4. Always wear a thong with legging or yoga pants. I see way too many panty lines at school now. Just get a thong. Please.
5. Start college applications early. I stressed way too much over college apps. Start them early. The less stress you have during senior year, the better.
6. Make a connection with at least one teacher. I am a quiet girl during class. This made it kinda hard for me to find a teacher I really liked and connected to. I wish I had become friends with my teacher, as my other friends have. They were able to get recommendations from teachers, and they always had someone to talk to during rough patches!
7. Be kind. Everybody has problems that nobody else sees. Just be kind as you can to everybody, even if they haven’t been the best to you. You could make somebody’s day!
8. Be your own best friend. You are going to find yourself alone at sometime during high school. Knowing you have the confidence and self-esteem to survive really helps those sad times.  
9. You dreams will change and that’s okay. Freshman year, I wanted to be a nurse.  Sophomore year, I wanted to be an actress. Right now, I am leaning toward teaching.  Don’t stress over your college major in high school. It’s a big decision, but don’t cut your childhood short. It’s not the time to worry over adult things. The time will come for that later.
10. When given the chance, sleep. When staying up to 3am studying for a test becomes your normal, you need to sleep. I have found when given the chance to sleep or go out, sleep always works out better. Always try to be well-rested for a new week of school.  You never know what your teachers will throw at you. 

I hope these help! I know not everyone will agree with some of these suggestions, but I wish someone had told me them before my freshman year!

Thanks JSC for the guest post!