On the night before my first day of junior year, I only had one simple thought in my head: “How in the world will I survive?” Now, almost halfway through the second semester — the part of the year everyone warns you about — the same thought lingers in my head. A typical junior is expected to know how to balance their workload, extracurricular activities, and upcoming exams, while having a clear plan for the future at just sixteen or seventeen years old. When you live under almost constant pressure, balance starts to feel impossible.
The worst aspect of this constant pressure is the way it can exhaust you, both mentally and physically. Steven Zauderer, CEO of Cross River Therapy, a behavioral therapy organization, discusses some of the pressures that teenagers feel. In his article “47 Student Stress Statistics,” he reveals that “45% of students in high school admit to being stressed almost every day in school.” Additionally, he notes that “61% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 feel stress over producing satisfactory grades.” As a current junior, I find myself relating to these statistics all the time. Juniors are often reminded about how grades can define them and their future. The constant pressure of trying to maintain A’s in all your classes, despite struggling to keep up or understand what’s happening, can be stressful. Mentally, it makes you harsh on yourself, wondering whether you are smart enough or if you’re even supposed to be in a challenging class. Physically, your body becomes exhausted from the amount of stress it is subjected to due to the desire to do better and keep up.
Time itself can feel like a battle when you’re a junior. Once semester two of junior year arrives, a junior is met with the prospect of AP exams, the SAT (which we just took on March 11th), speaking with teachers and counselors about letters of recommendation, finishing up sports, all while trying to have a strong academic performance in all classes because, as we are often reminded, this is the last full year of grades that colleges will see. I’ve noticed that activities I once looked forward to doing now seem like distractions to me, so the time I used to set aside for them is often spent on school-related stuff instead. Although school should always be a top priority for a student, especially when you’re in the most crucial year of high school, it’s important not to push away the things you love and try to give yourself breaks every once in a while to do these activities.
If all of this was not enough, junior year is also considered to be the year you start figuring out what your future career is going to be. It essentially feels like you’re figuring out your entire life at sixteen or seventeen. But what if you have no idea what you want to do? I ask because this is exactly the question I am pondering as I try to figure out which careers and majors fit me the best. The pressure to choose my career correctly makes uncertainty feel dangerous because I don’t want to regret my choices and have to repeat the process. At times, I feel like I’m falling behind, while it seems like everyone else somehow knows their plans for the future.
While I firmly believe that junior year is one of the most difficult years of school, I also recognize that it’s something students need to learn how to endure and eventually overcome. However, you don’t have to suffer through the year and simply struggle to survive. There are things you can do to manage the stress and meet the requirements. Jillian Kubala of Health line provides “16 Ways to Relieve Stress,” including getting outside more, practicing self-care, and journaling. I’ve done some of the things that Kubala notes in her article, such as minimizing screen time, setting boundaries by saying “no” to things that would unnecessarily add to my load, and making time for my hobbies. For me, these have helped a lot with balancing my schoolwork and focus, and my mental health. Junior year may be unavoidable, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your mental health and your identity.