The Calm Before the Storm
Right now, high school kids across the USA are enjoying the year-end holiday break that last anywhere from 5-10 days off from school. That means NO HOMEWORK!!!For many, it is a much-needed reprieve from the day-to-day stressors of school, sports, clubs and sometimes family. It’s a period characterized by joy and a carefree attitude, especially among freshman and sophomores, who have finally hit their stride. However for juniors and seniors, this stretch of time has Jekyll and Hyde- like qualities. On the one hand you can relax just knowing that no homework deadlines are looming over you. On the other, you know that at as SOON as you get back, you will be barraged with deadlines, midterms, SAT or ACT prep, setting up college tours, tournaments, games, or….. WAITING to see if you got into your ideal college, or any college for that matter. This period is known as, “The Calm Before the Storm.” It’s living in limbo. It’s intense. So how do you deal with it?
Well as trite as it sounds, just knowing you are in limbo can be helpful depending on the type of person you are. Do you see your time as limitless or limited? For example, if you think of time as limitless, you most likely tend to lose track of time or even waste it. This can be detrimental especially if you run out of time before you realize you had it. You may reach the end of your time off and not have any idea or plan of how to tackle the impending storm. That can be super stressful.
Knowing that your time is finite and precious can encourage you to make the most of it. Be intentional with how you spend your days. Make time for your friends and don’t put off fun things for some unspecified time in the future. Be sure to take an hour or two to think through how you will navigate the amount of upcoming work, tests and deadlines. Just feeling like you are prepared and have an idea of a plan will set you up for a good outcome and reduce future stress. For the person who perceives time as limitless, knowing your vacation days will end sooner than you think is a good thing.
The flip-side of the limitless-time individual is the person who thinks they have limited time. If this is you, you most likely worry about how you are going to get it all done “in time.” Knowing that you only have 10 days left before the gauntlet of due dates begins puts so much pressure on you that you either A) forfeit your chill days to get a head start on the work, or B) you bury your head in the sand, irrationally hoping that the vacation never ends. Neither scenario is an ideal method for handling the situation because they both induce anxiety which can in turn, lead to burn-out.
Instead, as suggested above, be intentional with your fun time. If you simply must get a jump on studying, homework and projects, make a contract with yourself to only spend 20% of your waking hours on work, and the remaining 80% on relaxing. Your brain can’t perform at it’s best if you don’t give it a rest. Really. Step away from the books. Have fun. The books will always be there, but your friends may not. And when you do come back to the books, you will be a rested, better version of you, and possibly be able to tackle them with a new perspective.
Whether you regard time as limited or limitless, be intentional with how you use it. Don’t squander your time during “the Calm” by doing nothing, only working or burying your head in the sand. Use it wisely to enjoy yourself and to set yourself up to weather “the Storm” with finesse.
