The Ana Edit Issue #7: Surviving The School Year
How To Survive the 2020-2021 School Year
Ana's Corner
It is Tuesday, September 15, 2020, and tomorrow is the first day of the new school year. Unlike prior back to school seasons, I feel unprepared, overwhelmed, and stupefied. How every did time pass so quickly? I could have sworn yesterday was March 13, the day that indelibly changed the trajectory of my adolescence. Despite my negative emotions, I cannot do much about my current state and I essentially have to "suck it up" and let the chips fall where they may. For a control freak like me, this is not a reality I readily accept; while I may not be able to completely rectify the current stipulations, I can control how I react to them. As Marcus Aurelius once said, "the impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way". Leave it to the stoics to galvanize me into taking charge of my life and forgoing excuses (drats, those stoics!). In order to take initiative, I have laid down some goals-or shall I say rules-for myself. Keep in mind these are personal to me and my foibles but are not necessarily the best course of action for another individual. Nonetheless, I am including them because this would not be called "Ana's Corner" if I failed to discuss...well... me!
In regards to my mental health, I will:
Journal Every Night
I have tried to journal in many instances in my life but to no avail. Every time I have written a journal entry in the past, the ensuing entry would be written a month or so later: not exactly consistent reflection. I cannot exactly pinpoint why this is. For those who do not know me personally, I am the quintessential over-thinker. I think, ponder, reflect, and eventually opine all day, every day. Yet, I have a relentless reluctance to journal and put my thoughts on paper. Whether that be due to fear of having a future me look back and retort my ignorance or having someone find my most raw and vulnerable moments, I have never stuck to a journal for more than a month, a period characterized by lackluster hand-turkeys rather than introspection and reflection. This time, I am going to be diligent about this practice. I feel I am at the perfect juncture in my life to benefit from journaling- I am a teenager; these are the years that define every memoir written in the 20th or 21st century :)
2.Set "office hours"
Type-A personalities are by and large workaholics. We drive ourselves to the brink of insanity and once there, we plow ahead. While this works in the short term, it is not sustainable and breeds mental health issues and a feeling of lamentation i.e. the realization that you have spent the last few years of your life toiling away only to miss out on meaningful experiences that are food for the soul, not the resume. Well, I am tired of it. I have decided to set "office hours" in the sense that I will not work past a certain point and save the tasks for the next day or when it suits me. By no means am I saying to give up and watch Netflix definitely, but rather strike a balance between work and play so when you are "on", you are on", and when you are "off" you indeed are "off".
In Regards to My Hobbies
I want to continue being engaged in multiple clubs such as Junior State of America, Key Club, Student Organization, so on and so forth.
An idle mind is a dangerous one, right? While I mentioned having balance, I do not consider clubs as work. I earnestly enjoy each and every one of these activities and would be devastated if they were ever to cease.
2.Continue doing Calligraphy
There isn't a profound reason here; I just like lettering and find it relaxing.
In Regards to My Social Life
Regularly check in on my friends
It is so easy to become emotionally detached from others when you are physically detached. However, ease does not predicate wisdom. Just because something is easy, does not mean it is the wise thing to do. I plan to make the extra effort and go the extra mile to check up on my friends and be there for them as much as they are there for me.
2.Sleep, sleep, sleep, and did I mention sleep?
I cannot function in social atmospheres if I am a zombie who cannot muster enough energy to keep my eyes open. 8-9 hours is the goal!
Advice for The School Year
First and foremost, I would like to apologize for going on a tangent in the section related to my life. I was bubbling with thoughts that I had to share and I believe anyone reading this would benefit from taking the time to skim through the section above because it has useful insights and might help you feel less alone. However, I am not anyone's mother so individuals should do as they ultimately see fit. Without further ado, let us get into the tips for the upcoming, depending on your circumstance, school year.
Advice for Getting The Best Grades
Use Spaced Repetition
Research has proven that we retain material better when a period of time lapses between our study sections. Thus, it is foolish to wait until the night before an exam to study, albeit I know it is so tempting! If you have little time to prepare, try taking short breaks between each subject and avert your attention to another topic. For example, say I have 2 exams for math and science. If both exams were soon, I could spend a day alternating between the two topics. I could study math for 20 minutes then science for another 20, then math, and the process continues until you have mastered the material. To read more about this technique, refer to the article linked below.
https://collegeinfogeek.com/spaced-repetition-memory-technique/
2 Do Not Listen To Music While Studying
This one is based more on anecdotal evidence, aka my experience, but music is deleterious to the studying process. I find that listening to music causes me to confuse the words of a song with the words on my page, such as turning the word hate into hat or other minor conflations, or causes me to divert my attention to enjoying the beat rather than narrowing in on my work. Again, this is personal preference but It is worth a try because many have had similar experiences to those of mine. If you cannot quit cold-turkey, try switching to music with no lyrics first. Then, work your way to no music little by little.
3 Pomodoro Method
Simply put, the pomodoro method consists of spurts of time when you study and actively engage in a task, followed by a break. For instance, you work for 25 minutes, then relax for 5. I have a considerable portion of a prior blog post dedicated to this, so I will spare you and myself the time of having to rehash it, but if you want more info be sure to refer to the post linked here: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/analicollari/issues/the-ana-edit-issue-3-271271
Advice for Using Technology to Make Your Life Easier
We have heard it time and time again, "you kids are so lucky. When I was your age, I did not have a phone or any of those gadgets. If I wanted to learn, I had to open a book and read". While our elders are mistaken in their simplification of technology being all positive in that they fail to account for the constant comparison social media causes, the advent of cyber-bullying, and the plethora of issues unique to GenZ, they are not mistaken in their belief that it is easier to get information nowadays. Every individual with access to a computer, or mobile device can search up virtually- see what I did there- anything and instantaneously receive insight. Not only do we have access to knowledge, but we have gained access to services as well. Therefore, we can use technology to simplify unnecessarily complex parts of our lives; to accomplish this, I have listed my favorite apps for back to school along with a succinct description to accompany the title of the application.
Libby - Get access to all the books in your public library from your phone or tablet
Calm- Relax and unwind with this meditation app which is perfect for reducing stress before and after exams
Goodnotes- Take neat and detailed digital notes with my favorite note- taking platform, a far superior alternative to Notability.
Lake- Whoever said coloring was for kids is woefully mistaken. This is great for when you want tranquility and ataraxia.
Pocket- This app is intended for saving apps for later, but you can save any web browser from a google form you have to fill out to a donation page you need to save.
Google Calendar- Having a calendar is extremely helpful for keeping track and on top of everything you have to do. I prefer the interface of Google Calendar over that of the built-in Apple Calendar.
Card Flow- The easiest, no-fuss app for creating and storing flashcards
Lastly, Advice for Staying Involved During Quarantine
While quarantine restrictions are loosening up, quarantine is far from over. If you have a region similar to mine, you are not allowed to return to school in-person for 5 days a week, 8 periods a day. In addition to learning taking place online, clubs have gone virtual or closed down. In a time with so many unknowns and so much confusion, how does one stay involved?
Create Opportunities; Do Not Wait for Them
This is a very stoic way of thinking, unsurprising given my affinity for stoicism. (See blog post on what stoicism is https://www.getrevue.co/profile/analicollari/issues/the-ana-edit-issue-5-274946) As the stoics believed, you are in charge of your fate. Do not let others dictate it for you. Thus, if your schools are not offering many clubs, contact them to create one. If that is not an option, find a virtual club unaffiliated with your school and join that. If you are having trouble getting service hours, start your own organization or research endlessly until you find one that speaks to you. Once you become an adult, so I presume because I am still a teenager, no one will give you anything. You will have to forge your path and EARN it. So, do not fall into the habit of thinking nothing can be done or it is quarantine so it is okay to be inactive.
2. Reach Out to An Adult
This may seem to go against my previous sentiments, but there is a fine line between being complacent whilst expecting things to be done for you, and taking charge whilst making use of the resources you have. Perhaps considering adults to be a resource is crude, but for all intents and purposes they are one. Adults have more experience than us teens and as much as we hate to admit it, we need them. Reach out to an accomplished person and ask for their advice. Do not be domineering or irreverent; simply approach them, express your respect for what they have accomplished, and ask for a moment of their time. If you cannot get some eminent person, your parents and guidance counselors are wonderful as well. Irrespective of whom you contact, make sure you are cordial and respectful of their time.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this issue! If you have any suggestions or requests for future topics, please fill out the form below.
