Tag: stress

Dial Down The Holidays And Year-End Stress!

Yes, it’s that “most wonderful time of the year”! Well, maybe. There is the unavoidable holidays and the year-end stress as everything happens in a few short weeks, even if some of it is fun. For most students, the season becomes enjoyable only when school commitments are done and the winter break has begun.

Relax. It is possible to manage finishing assignments, writing reports and handling finals and still find it possible to enjoy the season with friends and family. It just takes a little planning and self-care – we’ll show you how!

 

Take Deep Breaths

Too many things to do? Just breathe. Start by inhaling slowly and exhaling deeply. It’s a scientific fact that deep breathing helps you relax.  Best of all, you can do it anytime, anywhere, without any props!

Limit Junk Food

Hey, it’s the holidays. There will be tons of sugary, fatty goodies wherever you go. Go ahead and enjoy – some of it. Don’t overdo it and remember to balance it with good healthy food when you can. Your body will thank you with less stress!

Get Enough Sleep

If you feel tired, you’re really not going to do so well taking exams, turning in papers, or even playing video games with your friends. According to this article, lack of sleep drops you into an unhealthy spiral. When you create your schedule, put in time for sleep!

Set Priorities

As noted earlier, this time of year is full of things to do – what you must do, and what you want to do. Take time to figure out what is most important to you and your family (school work is pretty important too!) and feel free to decline invitations or postpone unnecessary work. 

Make A Schedule

As with almost anything, a schedule is a must to help you stay on track and also make you feel you’re on top of things and consequently lowering the holiday and year-end stress. Whatever is your favorite planner, use it to list everything – school work, extra curricular, family and friend gatherings, personal time – it’ll help keep you on top of things.

Get Moving

You’ve heard this before. Exercise reduces stress, helps you sleep and helps work off the calories from those holiday goodies! It can be fun too, especially if you go play a sport with a team or go for a run with friends.

Take Breaks

Self-care is critical. Having some downtime to listen to music, watch a favorite show, hang out with friends or bake cookies, will help keep your mind feeling refreshed and your whole self a little more relaxed. 

Create An Inviting Study Space

Yes, you have to do your school work though the holidays are here. Go ahead and have some fun decorating your space, however you like it. Your space will make studying feel a little merrier!

Study Socially

If you can, take a break from solo studying and do it with your classmates. Prepping for a history test can be less stressful with friends (unless group-study doesn’t work for you). You can gather together for some holiday goodies and then bust out the books, or if you can’t meet in person, gather online for a little study-and-chat time.

Ask For Help

It it gets to be too much for you, and you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for help. Your family, friends and teachers can help you with the academic challenges. And ask for help if your stress is getting to be more than you can handle – your family and teachers can give you the guidance you need.

Notice something about these tips? They could be useful for anyone who’s juggling a lot of to-dos and is being crushed under the holidays and year-end stress, so feel free to share.

The Meemli team wishes you happy, stress-free holiday season!

 

Writing Your Personal Statement Without The Stress

(Please share this with the college-bound teen in your life!)

Many high school seniors go into panic mode during college applications time because they have to face writing the dreaded personal statement. After all, supposedly it is the most important part of your application and will determine if you get into the college you want. Is it even possible to think about the “personal statement” without the stress?

Relax. You don’t have to stress out about college admissions. Every year more than 2 million students enroll in college, and if they can do it, so can you! 

Also, the personal statement is only one of the ways that colleges know who you are, and writing it can be made easier. The Meemli team has a few, easy-to-follow tips to help you dial down the worrying, so take a deep breath, and let it go – you’ve got this!

 

Enjoy It

Think about your favorite high school experiences. What did you love most about high school? What are you most proud of? How did these great experiences help shape you as a person?

You’ll most likely never do this again, so take the time to discover who you are, and what makes you special, and enjoy the process. Remember, this essay is a chance to showcase your best self!

Be Authentic

The personal statement is supposed to be “personal” – it’s about you. What is important to you and why you would be a great fit for the college, and it has to be something that you believe in.

So make sure it is about the real you, not who you think the admissions officer wants to read about. They are highly experienced and are very good at spotting essays that are inauthentic.

 

Remember Must-haves

College essays have some requirements. It is not just answering the question asked or sticking to the word limit, but also taking into account your tone, voice and more.

Take the trouble to find out the dos and don’ts for writing your college essay and make sure you follow them. For an easy way to keep track of the must-haves, get your free copy of the Meemli College Essay checklist here!

Get Help

While the college essay is all about you, and yes, you have to write it yourself, you don’t have to struggle through it on your own. It is perfectly acceptable to get guidance from helpful sources if you’re having difficulties with your essay or if you just want to make sure you have written it the way you want it to be.

When you get advice, make sure you get it from the right people who have the skills and experience to help you. Usually your school will offer resources that may be useful to you, if not, you can look at other options.

Meemli has some great, affordable, and very convenient options that might suit you.

• Need active help in writing your essay? Check out these options.
• Want an expert review of your draft? Send it in for detailed, personalized feedback from our experienced teachers.

So make a commitment to yourself to reduce your stress about the personal statement and remember to enjoy the process of writing about your awesome self and showing the colleges why they should admit you. 

Do you have some ideas to share about college essays? We’d love to hear from you!

Learn To Relax During Summer Break!

Yup, it’s happening right now, school’s out and you’re on your summer break! What should you do this summer? Of course, summer break is the time to catch up and get ahead on working towards your goals but…it’s critical to relax during summer break since you know crunch times will be back when school starts up again!

With jobs, internships, makeup classes, assignments, sports, there’s no shortage of things you feel you have to do. High levels of stress can be both physically and mentally draining, so it’s important to relax during summer break and refresh yourself. According to this article, vacations where you actually take a break from work and routine make you healthier and happier  – something even teens should pay attention to! Take some time now to focus on recharging your batteries so you’re ready to go ahead at full speed when school starts.

 

Make time for your interests and your friends!

Not sure where to start? Meemli has you covered. Try out these ideas to refresh during your summer break.

Get A Change Of Scenery

When you spend five out of seven days each week going to school, the weekly routine can get repetitive after a while. Thankfully, summer is a perfect chance to get a change of scenery. Use your time off to hit up the beach, visit a new city, take a hike, or do whatever you enjoy doing outdoors! Time spent away from busy environments has been proven to make you feel better.

Plus, free from the hectic school year schedule, summer is a great time to hang out with friends you don’t get to see as often as you’d like. So bring some company along on your trips. It’s not necessary to spend a lot of money to enjoy a change of scenery – visiting a park or lively street scene in a new part of town can be a blast if done with your friends. Feeling ambitious? Organize a treasure hunt with some friends and experience your town in a new and fun way!

Explore Your Interests

Summer vacation can also be a great time to explore your passions and interests. Time can sometimes be in short supply during the school year, but summer brings with it the perfect chance to learn or try something new.

Use your summer to broaden your horizons by doing fun activities that you’re interested in. Been wanting to learn how to play a favorite song? Learn a new sport? Want to build your own computer? Want to channel your inner chef? Now is the time to do it when you have fewer conflicts and commitments.

Schedule some time, every day or every week or during some stretch of your summer vacation, to devote yourself to indulging your passions and interests.  Want a little help getting started? Check out our list of low-cost DIY activities for teens that will spark your creativity.

All work and no play is rarely a recipe for success. While your summer will no doubt be filled with working towards goals, mix some fun and relaxation into your schedule to destress, stay healthy, and reenergize yourself for the next school year. The teen years are short – so don’t let them slip away without taking time to enjoy yourself!

What does your summer look like? All play? All work? A bit of both (we hope)? Let us know!