I would not say I’m an anxious person in general; but when it comes to the future, I do tend to get a little existential. And as dramatic as that sounds, it is a common issue among high schoolers.

Being told the decisions you make as a dumb teenager will determine the rest of your life tends to cause anxiety. Students deal with this fear in many ways: there are perfectionists and avoiders, though neither extreme does much good.

I used to be a perfectionist who would fuss over every detail. “I have to do it for college!” was by far my most used phrase. My friends still see me panicking about whether I am doing enough or whether I am doing the right things.

In a highly competitive environment such as Coppell High School, this is the attitude of many students. Of course, there are some students who choose to ignore these problems by giving up. They do not put effort into their academics or just do the bare minimum required to scrape by.

While I firmly believe students should work hard at school, becoming someone who hyper-fixates on building the perfect college application is not the solution.

There are far too many students who do things just because they feel as though they have to. I do not mean things like showing up to school (which is required by law), I mean activities such as volunteering for causes you don’t truly care about or taking classes in subjects you dislike just for the prestige.

While volunteering is a good way to give back and challenging classes help you learn new things, students should analyze why they are doing these things in the first place. If the only reason you are doing something is because it will look appealing on an application or because you think it is what colleges want from a student, then maybe you should not be doing it at all.

College applications are certainly important and should be considered; however, they should not take over your life. High school students are after all just teenagers, and we deserve to learn, grow and have fun. Figuring out what you like or what matters to you can be tough but the payoff is worth it.

If you are someone who tends to overthink, the future may seem much too frightening. But there are ways to combat this fear.

Simply finding the resources you need to figure out what you can do to help yourself is often the best idea. Maybe you find yourself constantly worried about your grades or extracurriculars; well, a little bit of thoughtful research into potential next steps can alleviate some of that stress.

Even if you do not know what you want to do after high school or if you want to explore another path such as the military, there are resources to help you feel more prepared. A little research gives you a lot of confidence.

I am advocating for something so simple yet so important: instead of overthinking, overplanning or giving up; combat your stress and help yourself by taking it slow. Find the resources you need. Find what interests you and explore it.

And most of all, remember you are still just a teenager, just a high schooler, and just getting started in life.

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