A week before my history test, my mind was racing and I couldn’t help but freak out. As a perfectionist, I stress out before any exam, but the possibility of failing another test, facing the wrath of my teacher, and having to drop out as a result sent my thoughts downhill. On top of that, I had a million other assignments and tests, not to mention other, non-school commitments I had to get done. When I’m stressed, it’s easy to let it completely take me over and I shut down. However, in life we are faced with certain challenges, and shutting down only leads to more problems and stress in the future.

Monday night was the worst. A whole weekend to procrastinate and I was faced with all the work I didn’t do as well as new work! I googled ways to relieve anxiety and spent the next hour skimming through “helpful tips.” No articles for me. After all, I didn’t want to read something as long as the homework I was avoiding. Finally, I found the savior of all science worksheet questions; Yahoo Answers! A user claimed yoga poses eased the body and mind, making you less stressed to study peacefully. I spent almost thirty minutes in my bedroom bending my body into a pretzel when I glanced over andnoticed it was a little past midnight. I had somehow managed to spend time I meant to dedicate to studying looking for ways to alleviate my stress so I COULD study. I sat on my bed, accepted that I was doomed, and went to sleep.

On Wednesday I had the epiphany that nothing good comes from over thinking and expecting the worst. Realistically, doing bad on one test will not ruin my whole future or make me drop out. Once you start to think about what you’re concerned about and realize it’s pretty much impossible, it’s easier to be positive. Then I took a step back and organized my time. When you feel like you have so many things on your plate, it seems like you have to finish everything at once. When I spread it out over a few days it gave me confidence. I knew I could complete everything I wanted to, just in a timeline that didn’t make me freak out. But when I’m really stressed, I run or shop and do something I really enjoy. For you it may be reading a book, watching a movie, or playing GTA V. Whatever it is, it’s important you take some time for yourself to keep your stress levels low.

By test day, my mood went from 0 to a 9. By confronting my stress I was able to stay calm and positive throughout the test (that I ended up doing pretty well on) while still participating in the rest of my life. Just remember…