As the holidays approach, it feels like there is so much going on for all of the seniors. Right now, we are in the midst of our college finals, high school finals, college applications, and scholarship deadlines. In addition to all of those things, we are still living in the midst of a pandemic, which is causing a lot of added stress. Personally, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of scholarship applications that I am being given to fill out. I know that these are opportunities that should not be passed up, but many of these applications are extremely time consuming and sometimes it feels like there’s just not enough time in the day for me to complete everything.

The most important thing to do when you are feeling stressed out though, is to ground yourself and take time to relax for a while. Last year, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, my English teacher, Ms. Smith encouraged us to take “mindful minutes.” We took our mindful minutes at the beginning of class everyday, and they helped us “focus in” on what we were planning to learn that day. Some of my favorite mindful minutes were the days that we discussed gratitude and focused on the little positives that were happening in our life. Today, I am still trying to be grateful for all of the things that I may often take for granted. One of the biggest things that I have been taking for granted is the fact that I am still able to have in-person classes this year. Schools all over the country are completely online, but we are still able to have classes, sports, and extracurriculars. Being able to still have a somewhat normal senior year and make memories with my friends is something that can be easily taken for granted, but I am extremely thankful that I am still able to do these things.

As 2020 comes to an end, we must all remember to be thankful for all of the little things that we have. It is also important to make sure that you aren’t overworking yourself or piling on too many activities.