Senior year is supposedly the best year of high school. With college decisions rolling in, it seems like the whole future is ahead of you. At least, that’s how senior years are portrayed. What people often forget to mention is the absolute stress that the year brings along with it.

From writing what seems to be a never-ending cycle of college essays to a heavy load of coursework to appeal to colleges, senior year is far from being easy. While many say junior year is the hardest year of high school, I have found that senior year has borne that burden, even being only 3 months into the year. As an IB DP (international baccalaureate diploma program) candidate, the stress of senior year has weighed even heavier on me. By the time I got back from summer camp, I felt a month behind.  Students in IB DP courses are required to write an IA (essentially a long research paper) for each class that they are involved with. All of my IA’s except math are due this semester, leaving me cramming to find time to focus on these as well as college applications.

Because of this, I think it is time to dispel the negative stereotypes around Senioritis. We should shift the focus from pure laziness once students are accepted to college to the mental well-being of students. A shift from a high-achieving student to one who can barely make it to class cannot just be brushed away as normal, and we should instead try to understand why that student is facing burnout. Trying to balance school and being with your friends for one last year is extremely hard and should be taken more seriously. If you are a senior facing burnout, here are some mental health tips I have found that work.

1. Don’t stop going to your hobby or sport, no matter how tempting it is to skip.
2. Try and spend at least 1 hour with friends on the weekend, whether BBYO or others.
3. Try not to compare yourself to those around you. Everyone works in a different way, and everyone is facing their own form of struggle right now.
4. Don’t be afraid to communicate that you are struggling. Having people to vent to is healthy.
5. Stressing about the future won’t help it. Instead, itemizing to-dos into a list helps me visualize what I need to get done and what I have already accomplished.

No one should feel put down for struggling. Know that in BBYO, you are surrounded by a community of people who are always there to support you, and know that you are not alone. Every senior struggles with burnout in some capacity and knows that this will pass over eventually. Feelings of negativity are not permanent.