Set yourself up for success

Phones can be hazardous to your high school career. So many times I have found myself sitting in my room at midnight or after scrolling through my phone while I still had a pile of work to do. I started turning in assignments late junior year because I thought that snapping people back at one in the morning was worth me failing classes. I had to get out of this mentality senior year when I started taking hard classes, but I wish I knew then what I know now. It’s not that deep. People are still going to be there when you wake up in the morning or after you finish your homework. People who truly care will not like you less because you took an hour to answer instead of a minute. That time to disconnect really helped with my mental health and allowed me to realize that there were other things I liked to do.

Along with keeping my grades up, I have learned to play the ukulele, take care of my physical health, and have enjoyed more
reading in my free time whereas a few months ago I would have used that time to send half pictures of my face to people I may not even know.

Don’t get me wrong I’m still on my phone more than I’d like to be, but having priorities and setting boundaries has been very helpful for me. It has helped me stay in the moment and be ok with where I am instead of always comparing my life with others. Comparison is what held me back my first three years at Mill Valley, but now, knowing that I don’t have to win the approval of others, I feel I truly enjoyed my last year of high school.