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You probably Thought It Was impossible, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!

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High school is typically from 9th grade to 12th grade and can be nerve-wracking for many since college is just around the corner.

From the stress of homework deadlines to doing college applications, it is hectic. 

According to a study that can be found here the proportion of mental health-related visits for children ages 12-17 has increased by 31% in comparison to 2019 (before COVID-19 spikes).

There are multiple reasons as to the cause of these results. These reasons include the lack of social interaction due to COVID-19 restrictions, lack of mental health resources, feeling discouraged in a time of panic, and much more. 

So how do you survive these tough times as a high schooler while also taking care of your mental health? Poor mental health can be prevented so read on to learn more on how to advocate for yourself and self-care tips! 

1. Build Communication and Healthy Relationships

Making friends is incredibly important for youths because it helps with creating a sense of community, love, and acceptance.

Also, having friends supports the development of these same senses towards other people. It is sort of a receiving and giving cycle the way that having friends affects people.

To further explain, an example of this receiving and giving cycle is having friends which you can open up to which can also help to allow you to open up to other people. 

Knowing whether these connections you make are healthy or not is up to you. Some relationships can be emotionally, physically, and mentally draining which is not good. In healthy relationships, you feel loved, cared for, heard, and respected.

Typically relationships can be different for everyone which is normal, but knowing “red flags” is very important because they might be the deciding factor for whether or not you think the relationship is healthy or not. 

According to a study done that can be found here using data from 169 people ages between 15 to 25 who had a close friendship had increases in self-worth and decreases in anxiety and depressive symptoms.

In summary of the study, youths who prioritized having close friendships are better at developing key social skills, and as said before they have a decrease in chances of having anxiety and depressive symptoms. 

In many cases friendships that people make in high school can last even after high school. Thus, you must keep wary of the people you hang out with and keep close within your high school years. It is also important to maintain these healthy relationships and check on your friends! 

2. Value Yourself

Self-worth is the understanding of ourselves as individuals and valuing ourselves. As defined by Merriam-Webster it is “a feeling that you are a good person who deserves to be treated with respect.”

However, it is often mistaken or closely associated with being egotistical even though they have nothing to do with each other. 

Building a sense of self-worth can help with the development of teens, and give them the confidence to try new things.

This is especially important for a high school student since exploring different things can have a hand in the direction of their future. 

Sometimes things don’t go as planned and sometimes it takes a toll on the person’s mentality which is very damaging. According to an article by Michigan State University which can be found here “Kids who know that they are “worth something” are less likely to feel “worthless” when they occasionally fail or suffer a disappointment.”

In other words, thinking of yourself as less when something doesn’t go your way won’t help with wanting to try again but will instead damage your mental health. 

Valuing ourselves goes hand in hand with accepting yourself, and to do so takes effort and letting go of comparisons. 

3. Destress and Self-Care

There is a common misconception that putting yourself first makes you selfish, but as Simon Sinek, an author and inspirational speaker once said “Putting yourself first is not selfish. Quite the opposite. You must put your happiness and health first before you can be of help to anyone else.” You should become a priority in your life.

Destressing and self-care are extremely important ways to take care of yourself during your high school years. 

High school can be very demanding from countless deadlines to tests, and sometimes everything might feel overwhelming to the point that taking care of yourself seems time-consuming when in reality it can be very beneficial.

From simple de-stressing and self-care activities, life can become less stressful and more manageable. 

There are multiple ways to destress and take care of yourself starting from simple breathing exercises, opening up to another, sleeping regularly, eating and drinking healthily, taking breaks, etc.

There are so many more ways to take care of yourself but asking for help is a good way to start, so don’t be afraid to ask. 

You should seek advice from a professional adult or your guidance counselor. But given the situation with COVID-19 it may be difficult or hard to reach out to someone from your school or even your friends, but do not worry.

Many professionals are equipped to help you and give advice. There are even professionals who are willing to just listen to you. 

4. Limiting Social Media

You probably guessed that this was coming. Social media can be draining and is a source of many negative attributes from being a distraction which can sometimes be a good thing, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, insecurities, cyberbullying, etc. Social media doesn’t always tell the truth either. 

However, social media can be beneficial in many ways from allowing you to connect with many people, express yourself, raise awareness, learn, etc. 

Social media can be both good and bad but there are signs that social media is impacting your mental health negatively. Some of these red flags are feeling like you are not good enough, comparing yourself to others, feeling pressure to post, and more. 

There is not a specific amount of time you should be spending on social media and it typically depends on you, but limiting your usage, and identifying whether or not it is negatively impacting you is a great start. 

And if limiting social media is best here are a few things you can do to replace the time you typically spend on social media: Join a club, try out a sport, try playing an instrument, find a new hobby, try exploring arts & crafts, volunteer, yoga, spend time with family. 

5. Setting realistic goals

Sometimes we may overexert ourselves to accomplish something that is out of our reach.

The disappointment of feeling of failure for not meeting these unrealistic goals can affect our mentality. It may be time to reassess our goals for what we can or can’t do.

We can start doing this by setting the right goals. To further explain this in-depth, first start by ensuring your goals are specific. Next, make sure these goals are measurable, so you can track your progress.

Afterward, make sure these are goals that you in the position you are in now can complete, and keep in mind that as a student your schedule may be busy.

Then, check if these goals are realistic. Lastly, set a period for when you want this goal to be completed. 

For these goals, you need to make sure that you are held accountable for them. By doing so, you are more set on accomplishing your goals. 

Final Words

High school can be stressful and tiring which is why it’s important to check on yourself and your peers if they are okay.

Share this article with your friends if you found this useful!

and advocate for mental health resources for your school! Some ways you can advocate for mental health care by supporting those who need help, volunteer for a mental health organization, educate others on the importance of mental health care. 

Cited Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6945a3.htm#
• :~:text=Beginning%20in%20April%202020%2C%20the,17%20years%20increased%20approximately%2024%25. 
• https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdev.12905
• https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_importance_of_helping_teens_discover_self-worth