I wake up at 7:30 every weekday, just to repeat the same steps I do every day. School, homework, sleep. My life continues to revolve around school, just like it’s been for as long as I can remember. However, it wasn’t always this repetitive until I got to high school, this is where the stress really began. Over and over I was told that this determined the rest of my life and every bad grade would take me a step closer to an unsuccessful future. 

My older brother has always been a pretty smart guy, being able to balance a 4.7 GPA and a generally good social life, getting him into UCI. This accomplishment of his really heightened the standards of my parents, as I am expected to do just as well as him. But to be honest, I know that no matter how hard I try, I just can’t. I get easily distracted and would much rather facetime my friends or sleep rather than study or do anything beyond homework. The classes I’m taking are advanced for my grade, so everyone assumes I’m pretty smart. But the truth is… I’m barely passing. I made myself believe that I could handle the honors and APs that I’m taking but it’s really a lot. I barely get five hours of sleep every night because I’m always up doing homework or studying for a test but still trying to keep up with my friends at the same time. I always end up feeling drained the next day, making it difficult to give my full attention to anything, whether it be lessons, teachers, or even friends. Although my parents always lecture me about school, they make sure I am not stressing myself out too much and still want me to be happy. They encouraged me to socialize with others and taught me that it’s best to build strong connections with the people that I care about.

I love my friends. Being able to hangout with them after a long week of school always manages to cheer me up and make me feel better. Whether it’s simply going to someone’s house, the movies, or the mall, I always enjoy people’s company. Hanging out with the people I love genuinely puts me in a better mood and takes my mind off the stressful things that I might be going through at the time. Talking or FaceTiming friends is always nice too. It doesn’t always have to be in real life, but I enjoy talking to other people that I might not be able to talk to at school. Ranting about random things that are going on in our lives to each other always takes weight off my body because it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest after talking about it. I’ve never liked the feeling of being alone, so I’ve always enjoyed being around friends even if it means talking to them online, it makes me feel like they’re with me. Simply having someone on the phone while studying can motivate me because it makes studying interesting and not as boring. It feels good knowing that there is someone there for me when I need them.

I hope my friends understand how much I appreciate them and know how much I truly care for them and their presence.