It's Time to Stop Stressing by Sydney

It's Time to Stop Stressing by Sydney - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

The beginning of each school year is filled with excitement and an eagerness to conquer the upcoming term. But, by the time the New Year rolls around, that eagerness has changed to stress and discontent. I ,the once ambitious student, have been bombarded with so many tests, homework assignments, college acceptance exams, and teachers with demanding expectations that all I feel is defeat despite my valiant efforts to be successful. I become so stressed over one test that I lose sight over the whole purpose of school, which is to learn and become a well-rounded person. This year, my New Year's resolution is to try my hardest, and to not be consumed with stress so that I can focus on becoming an educated, well-rounded individual.
Stress is a tidal wave that can carve a path of destruction into anyone's life. With my type-A personality, I strive for perfection even if it is an insurmountable feat. Having these expectations on myself causes me to have a plethora of stress. This stress makes it nearly impossible to reach my goals for all of my classes without spending a preposterous amount of time studying. This stress negatively impacts my relationships, extracurricular activities, academic success, and overall life. But, with my New Year's resolution, this will all change. I will learn how to manage my stress by diverting it into other, healthier outlets. These outlets could include exercise, reading, watching television, or talking with a friend or family member about something unrelated to school. With these simple diversions, I will be able to release my stress and conquer my tasks more efficiently than ever before.
With the excessive amount of stress gone from my life, there will only be positive results. Even though I will not be stressing out over school; my quality of work will only improve. I will not be spending eight hours on one test, so I will have more time to disburse between my other subjects. I will be able to spend time on homework assignments that might have been neglected in the past, while also having time to study an appropriate amount for my upcoming tests. By significantly lowering my stress level, I will grow remarkably as a student.
Having too much stress is never a good thing, especially for a high school student. It keeps me from enjoying the things I love, like tennis and my friends, and forces me to study ridiculous amounts. When I take stress out of my life, I am able to become the student that I really want to be. I will work hard in school, but I also won't have to overdo it. If I continue to keep the stress out of my life, I will improve as a student, and allow myself to be the unstressed, cultured student that my school wants me to be. So, instead of feeling defeated this New Year, I feel confident to keep the stress out of my life and really enjoy 2016.