If you’re a junior or senior this year, your mind may be spinning. With all the new mandates and rules, you may be wondering how you will ever have a “normal” school year, and how to prepare. We understand. It’s a super challenging time for everyone, no matter where you live, and what circumstances you are in. It really is true that “we are all in this together”, even though we are all sick and tired of hearing that! Ha! Here are some creative ways that you can prepare for a very unconventional school year ahead:
-Stay positive: Mindset is so important when you are faced with challenges. Of course, not everything becomes perfect with a positive attitude, but it certainly helps. Positive can help clear your head and focus on what you can accomplish, rather than all the roadblocks. If you are struggling with a positive mindset, consider writing inspirational quotes and putting them on sticky notes in your car or on your bedroom mirror to remind yourself that you can achieve what you put your mind to, and that this season is temporary. Just for now, not forever.
-Take the time to learn life skills: If you are doing online or distance learning, you may have more free time than before (depending on your course of study), even if it’s just an hour or two. This is valuable time you can utilize to learn things you will need when you leave for college or when you leave home for the first time. Here’s some examples of things you could ask a parent or mentor to help you learn:
-Balancing a checkbook and making a budget
-What it means to apply for and pay back a loan, how to research interest rates
-How to grocery shop and find the right ingredients.
-How to cook, budget for, and throw a dinner party (being responsible with COVID, of course)
-How to search for and find the best prices on textbooks
-How to iron and do laundry properly with care labels, etc.
-How to do CPR and emergency preparedness
-How to change a tire or do basic car maintenance/change oil
-Stay connected: Even if you aren’t in school with your graduating class, it doesn’t mean that you can’t stay in touch and enjoy the year together. If there are ways you can socialize in responsible ways, like outdoors, do it. It’s important that you have each other and that you can maintain as much normalcy of a “traditional” senior or junior year as much as you can.
-Celebrate this season: It can feel hard to celebrate when you’re feeling confused or wondering what the future may hold, but your junior or senior year only happen once (yes, even in a pandemic!), so do the things that bring you joy. Take photos in your cap and gown, celebrate virtually with an online grad party or a drive by parade, and send out graduation announcements to friends and family. Of course, one important aspect is your senior photos, and it’s never too early to book those. I’d love to talk to you about how they can mark such an important milestone.
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