I went into junior year with zero hope. My entire friend group had just transferred schools at the last minute, and I was still reeling from my ego death the previous spring. Then I had to come back to campus and basically restart in my second-to-last year of high school. I was going insane. I’d be lying if I said it got much better, since I still complain every single day, but I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t learn anything. To all the discouraged second-semester sophomores, here are two things that helped me survive junior year:
1. Try something new, and stay busy.
As crazy as it might sound, it’s been kind of wonderful having no free time during lunch or after school. At first, I did this out of necessity to avoid all social interaction, but I actually found genuine enjoyment making pages for the yearbook and hitting every ball out in the volleyball club. I don’t remember the last time I haven’t had some random meeting or commitment, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
2. Keep smiling through it all, or just remind yourself you can.
Obviously, I was not smiling through it all (more of a confused half-grin), but LeBron James was. Although James was not physically present with me, his essence lived through my phone’s lock screen. At the end of last summer, I changed the lock screen after six years from a Little Caesars order confirmation to a photo of James looking towards the sky with the text “Smiling through it all! Can’t believe this is my life” above it.
At the moment, this seemed like a manic life-altering decision, but it actually became a helpful reminder and source of positivity. Whenever I feel doubt or receive a horrible biology test grade, I look at my phone and feel the happiness that James radiates and remember that I, too, can smile through it all. You do not need to create an unhealthy dependence on LeBron James, but I would suggest planting small sources of positivity in your life and reminding yourself that it will not be horrible forever.
