educate
J
S.A.T. (Student Awareness Tools
®
)
SPRING 2018
maskmatters.org
59
HAKUNA MATATA
//
“H
akuna matata. It means no worries for the rest
of your days.”
Great advice if you’re a kid watching “The
Lion King.” As a child watching this movie, I had no clue
what stress was and didn’t have a care in the world.The
moment I arrived at high school, however, that all changed
and I had discovered my favorite Disney movie had been
lying to me all along.
When I wake up in the morning, stress immediately
piles onto my shoulders like a load of bricks. I create a to-do
list in my head, trying to prioritize, but immediately feel
overwhelmed.
Many students, including myself, are extremely involved
in school and extracurriculars. I juggle Advanced Placement
and honors classes, studio and company dance, an officer
position in my school’s dance council, soccer, volunteering
at a local animal shelter, college application and preparation,
and countless other tasks. Balancing all of this is difficult
enough, but having parents breathing down your
back about earning good grades to keep scholarships
makes it nearly unbearable.
High school students run on as little
as four hours of sleep, lots of caffeine,
and naps during class.The amount of
stress we endure at school—tests, projects,
meaningless homework—is unhealthy. But because
teens want social lives, we take on these activities,
which only makes the pressure worse.
The common thought of “maybe I should quit” often
crosses the mind of a stressed-out teenager, but we’re afraid
of being seen as a failure.There is no escaping this river of
stress we’re all drowning in.
But there are ways to manage it. Keeping track of time is
key. I’ve learned to properly plan out my day beforehand in
order to avoid cramming. Accepting the fact that tasks can
stay uncompleted until the following day is vital. I complete
homework and sports during the week, and focus on college
preparation on the weekends. Not procrastinating is key to
having time for friends and family.
Life is stressful, especially when you’re a hardworking,
involved high school senior preparing for college.
Frustration will consume you if you don’t manage it. I’ve
learned that everything will work out in the end and,
ultimately, the idea of “hakuna matata” will exist in my life
once again.
– Kylie Brennan
ACTING OUT
//
M
y one true passion has begun to consume
me. Acting, a known stress reliever in my
life, became the root of my hair
falling out and a handful of restless nights
resulting in crying myself to sleep.
How did this happen? After all, I love
acting.The adrenaline rush I receive when I walk on set
can be compared to that of jumping out of an airplane.
However, in a matter of what felt like mere seconds, I
went from cruising thousands of feet above any worries
to crashing hard through the air.
April of my junior year was a rollercoaster.The
responsibility of college was looming as my senior year
quickly approached. And on top of that, there were finals,
and extracurriculars, and acting.
I had been cast in my school’s production of “Legally
Blonde,” a physically and mentally demanding show that
would result in me coming home after rehearsal when
the sun was already on its descent behind the mountains.
I had also just received the biggest acting job of my life,
causing me to awaken before the crack of dawn, miss
days of school, spend hours in front of the camera and
then make the hour commute to arrive at dress rehearsal
on time. I went six days on less than four hours of
sleep. Grueling? Yes, but worth it.That is, until I finally
cracked.
On the final day of my acting job, I was exhausted.
Every break between scenes consisted of a frantic rush
to catch up on school work and study for finals. I felt
worked to the bone, yet there was still more work to be
done.
On the last day, I was late to rehearsal. I was on my
last straw. I was reprimanded for making silly mistakes
on dances or missing my cues. Fresh, hot tears threatened
to escape my eyes until they flooded out the moment I
slammed my car door shut.This was too much.
At that very moment, I realized that it was OK to
cry—very OK. In fact, I wailed and I screamed and I
cursed at the world…and then I felt better.The moment
I accepted the stress, I was immediately able to cope.
Today, I deal with my stress by knowing that I’m not
the only one. Life is a constant ball of stress, difficult
times will pass and others will follow, but everyone
has them. I’m not alone, this too shall pass. And that’s
reassuring.
– Erin Griffith
