We Did It!

Throughout the course of this year, I've come to learn that high school kind of sucked and it's actually nothing like the movies. Just kidding! (Am I though???) It wasn't a completely horrible experience though: I had my friends, extracurricular hobbies and family there that made school tolerable, but if I had to be completely transparent, it was definitely NOT easy. Stress over school and college apps, a fear of being disliked and constant senioritis even before senior year all kind of reigned supreme in the last four years, even though it really shouldn't have. But I guess all of that was worth it because now we're finally graduating and leaving high school behind. That's definitely a plus.

I will say though that there were genuine upsides to high school: sporadic movie days in class when no one wanted to do anything, my lunch table where we laughed over the smallest things, and going sledding randomly on school grounds during Mid-winter break (where I almost got a concussion but whatever). Plus, my bed was always super comfortable after an especially long day. 

What I've learned is not academic things (which sounds contradictory considering we're leaving high school), but rather the lesson that it's not just talent or natural academic prowess, but stamina, because no one tells you how hard it really is to keep pushing yourself mentally for months and years. Being able to just keep things pushing even when you want to lay flat on the floor is 1000% the biggest challenge for me, and so many others, during this year. But I do think that the exhaustion was kind of worth it, because I really learned the importance of giving yourself a break and patience. Self care, no matter how overrated and overconsumptified it is on social media, truly is one of the most important elements to succeeding. 

Another thing that I think will stick with me is the knowledge that imposter syndrome is so, so nasty, because what do you mean I feel stupid all the time in a room of my classmates all. The. Time? I've for sure come to understand that everyone is going through life for their first time, and no matter how put together everyone may seem, they're all going through different things. It's really important to remind yourself that one, you're not measured by your intelligence (at least you shouldn't be), but also that you should never, EVER, compare yourself to others, because it's just too toxic for your mental health. Focusing on yourself is so so much better.

Anyway, I guess those are some of the things that I've learned throughout this year, and put into words, it's much more than I thought. I guess my goal now is to coast through these next two weeks of school and skip into the sunset after Wednesday, May 21st, cause by that point, as the icon Elle Woods once squealed, "We did it"!