Here are some tips to avoid burnout as a student at Academic Magnet High School! It can be a lot trying to balance school, your social life, sports, work, and everything else. These are the activities and strategies I have learned to do throughout high school that have benefitted me and hopefully will benefit you as well! Good luck to everyone reading this and remember that you can do hard things. High school can be a tough time but the struggle can be lessened with these tips in mind.

1. Do your work as early as you can – Yes, I know that picking up your phone and/or avoiding your work for as long as possible might seem like the easy route, but it ends up being harder. Getting work done right away prevents you from stressing about deadlines, stacking up on work, and not having time to yourself. I try to do my work the earliest I can so that I have more time later on the weekend and I don’t have to stress with the burden of knowing I have work to do. It is better to have the whole weekend to relax than a few stressful hours after school when you are procrastinating. Create a study schedule by allotting time everyday for certain subjects. Fifteen minutes everyday can add up and it’s actually better for your long term memory.
2. Do the right study method for you – I realized I am definitely a visual learner so I need to practice problems and make diagrams of things so that I can understand the subject better. Different people need different ways of studying, whether it is Quizlet, going over work and assignments, watching videos, or other studying strategies. It will definitely benefit you and your time by knowing what method is the best. Instead of spending sixteen hours trying all the different ways of studying in hope that one works, focus on what helps you learn the most in less time for more of a reward. Active learning by making sure that you are engaging in what you’re learning is a great way to study, along with active recall. Set up your reminders app or agenda and cross off the assignments and activities you have finished afterward.
3. Remember that you DESERVE to sleep and take care of yourself, it’s not something that you have to earn. Try to go to bed as early as possible, because not having a good sleep routine and at least 7-8 hours of sleep is proven to make your mental health suffer. Your brain needs time to refresh and process everything that happened in the day, and if it doesn’t get time to, it will quickly become detrimental to your mental and physical health, your grades, and your relationships. Also, at a certain point of the night, you won’t be actually learning anything so it’s better to just go to sleep so that you can ace your tests and assignments the next day. Given this, I recommend studying over multiple days instead of cramming the day before, especially for tests when you need to memorize a lot of vocabulary words and understand concepts.
4. Spend time with people you love – This takes your mind off of working, increases your dopamine, and lessens stress. You don’t have to go anywhere, just being with people can be beneficial on its own. Some ideas for hangouts are going to the beach, hiking, shopping/window shopping, having a picnic, baking or cooking, watching movies, going on a drive together, visiting the Farmer’s Market, making jewelry, eating at a restaurant, going to a concert, watching the sunset/sunrise, playing a sport, zip lining, rock climbing, horse riding, going to Boone Hall Plantation for the Lowcountry Strawberry Festival or Fright Night, going to the aquarium, and doing arts and crafts.
5. Try to indulge in your hobbies – Taking time off to focus on something you enjoy that brings real happiness is important. Often doom scrolling can feel like it makes you happier at the time, but in reality it can just make your mental health worse and make you tired. It’s okay to spend some time on your phone, just make sure that you have other hobbies and activities that you enjoy. You could try painting, baking, cooking, cleaning, sewing/embroidery, a diamond gem art kit, learn how to play an instrument, pottery, biking, sports, surfing, teaching your dog tricks, scrap booking, gardening, dancing, camping, etc. 
6. Go outside – Going outside everyday for at least 20 minutes can benefit your mental health significantly. You could walk your dog or run with music. Not only do you get some fresh air, you also will benefit from the vitamin D from the sun. Walking has mental benefits and physical benefits, making both the mind and the body healthy.  It doesn’t have to be walking too, it can be playing a sport or anything else to take your mind off of school.
7. Reward yourself – Every now and then, bake something, buy a treat, or anything else that brings you joy as a way to reward yourself for your hard work and perseverance, because you deserve it! 
8. Workout – Exercising can also increase your dopamine levels and make yourself feel accomplished. Put on your favorite music and do any exercise, whether it be in the gym or in your own home. If you don’t have any workout resources, you could always just watch a workout video online and follow it in your house or wherever you feel comfortable. Also, you will have the benefit of better physical fitness! 
9. Get help if you need it – Don’t be afraid to ask for help, it’s better to understand what you’re learning! If a class is hard or you think you might struggle, I recommend getting yourself a mentor at school because you might as well make the most of what resources you have.

All in all, make sure you take some time to yourself and spend some with others. Make the most out of high school because it goes faster than you think.