Dear Poppy,

How do I deal with the stress of senior year (college acceptances, scholarships, etc.) and the decline of motivation that comes with it (aka senioritis)?

— Struggling Senior

Dear Struggling Senior,

There is really no way to do it other than to stay organized. As far as colleges and scholarships go, one thing I’ve seen that’s helped is getting a small calendar or organizer and writing down deadlines. These can be deadlines for college admissions, scholarship applications, and even senior things for graduation. This way, everything is together and you can check it without being overwhelmed with other scheduled things in your life.

For senioritis, you basically have to force yourself to stay motivated. Like I said, stay organized and try not to get to that point where you’re just throwing things in your bag to the point you lose it or forget about it. Stay on top of your homework so things don’t pile up and your grades don’t suffer. I know, some teachers let you go as long as everything gets turned in before the quarter ends, but trust me, the feeling of not wanting to do anything is going to get worse and you’re going to look back and hate yourself for not doing the work when you got it. 

At the end of the day, write everything down or mark it on your phone. It can actually come in handy sometimes. I personally prefer notebooks when it comes to school things because my phone distracts me. When I sit down and go to look for what my work is, I’ll hit Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, and twenty minutes later, I still have nothing done. So, that’s just one idea but everyone works and focuses differently. I hope everything works out, but ultimately it’s going to have to be a mind game and you working to stay on top of things. 

Sincerely, 

          Poppy <3