watch this if you re stressed about school

So back in high school, I had the amazing idea of taking the hardest classes I possibly could. And let me tell you, it got super stressful at times. Sophomore year wasn't too bad. I only took two AP classes. My junior year, I took four. And my senior year, I took five. And look, if you're watching this video, chances are you also are taking the hardest classes you possibly can because you want to stand out to top colleges. And you know what? I applaud you for being bold and challenging yourself. But as I have experienced myself, taking a bunch of hard classes can get incredibly overwhelming. So let's cover my five tips for dealing with stress and burnout as a student. All right, tip number one is to realize that stress is okay. I think when a lot of students talk about alleviating stress, the implicit goal there is to just get rid of all stress in general. And look, I'm going to tell you right now that's not fully possible. The reality is, if you felt zero stress whatsoever about any of your schoolwork, you wouldn't have any motivation to do it. So there's something called the stress curve. And it shows three different levels of stress. If you have low stress, it means you're calm and relaxed and not worrying about too much. If your stress is too high, it means you're distressed and probably going to burn out or feel overwhelmed. But in the middle, there's something called eustress. And this is what I think every student should aim for. This is stress that's actually healthy. It's the kind of stress that will help you feel alert, motivated, and ready to do your work. Thinking about this curve is helpful because you realize that your feelings of stress are completely normal. It's not like you're weak or incapable if you're feeling stressed. You're just a normal student. So let's talk about how you can bring that distress to eustress with my next tip. You need to contextualize. Look, we've all been there. We've all gotten a low grade. We see the number and we kind of feel like it's the end of the world. But what usually happens? You tend to do better on the next exam. Homework assignments and classroom assignments help you make up for that low grade. And by the end of the semester, it's kind of like that one low grade almost had no impact at all. If you're a student, and especially if you're taking hard classes, you have to realize that some low grades are inevitable. And again, that's not a testament to your intelligence or your ability. Maybe you didn't get enough sleep the night before. Maybe you had other commitments so you couldn't study as much. You should never let the occasional low grade impact your self-image or affect how smart you think you are. So that's why I think it's so important that you put every grade into context. For example, let's say you get a 70 on something. Is it a 70 on a midterm or is it a 70 on a classroom assignment? Yes, regardless, seeing that 70 might not feel the best. But if it's a classroom assignment, it'll probably not even matter. Okay, but let's say it is on a midterm. Even then, you should contextualize and zoom out. It's just one midterm of probably several dozen you're going to take throughout your time in high school. So again, in the grand scheme of things, that 170 is just going to fade into the background and you'll be just fine. I think it's very important for students, and especially type A students, to just step back and see everything in the broader picture. It's a skill that I really had to force myself to learn in high school and college and one that definitely helped me alleviate tons of stress. Alright, and along these lines, here's my third tip. Focus on inputs, not outputs. Ultimately, you should feel empowered by thinking about the things you have control over. For example, the amount of time you spend studying for a test, creating a study schedule in advance, asking for help when you need it. These are variables that you can control and where you should be putting most of your focus. You shouldn't focus too much on the actual grade you get on an assessment or an essay if you know you put the work in. Ultimately, if you focus on the inputs and what you have control over and learn to let go of the outputs, which is the grade that you get, you can learn to be proud of yourself for doing things like putting in the work, studying extra hours, once again, asking for help. The happiness that you feel from knowing you did your best and actually put in the work should outweigh any sadness that you get from getting a slightly low grade. For example, back in college, I took this really hard algorithms class. And I kid you not, in that class were science fair winners, Olympiad winners, and some of the smartest students from all across the country. Did I do well on the exams? For the most part, yes. But I remember there being exams that I did not do as well as I wanted to. But even then, I was pretty happy with the outcome because I knew I gave those exams my all. I spent the entire week following up, doing as many practice problems as I could, going to office hours, reviewing previous exams, and taking pride in that effort I put in helped mitigate the stress of getting a somewhat low grade. All right, so to help alleviate stress, it's also important to have the right study tools and resources. And that's where the sponsor of this video comes in, Brilliant.org. Brilliant makes it really fun to study and achieve your academic goals. Instead of having to read through your textbook or piles of notes, Brilliant's interactive math and science lessons will break down concepts in ways you could have never imagined. You can create programs with drag and drop blocks. You can understand fundamental math concepts with interactive models and diagrams. And you can literally wrap your mind around the cosmos by simulating supernovas. Brilliant makes learning feel like a game, and it adapts to your pace and learning needs. They're adding new courses every single month, so if you're looking to learn in a new, immersive way, check out the link in my description for a free 30-day trial. And the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual subscription. Okay, tip number four for alleviating stress and burnout. You have to find outlets. And by this, I mean you gotta find ways to break away from your work, relieve stress, and just enjoy yourself for a little bit. And I want you to think about this in two ways. You gotta find short-term outlets and long-term outlets. A short-term outlet can be as simple as taking a break while you're studying. For example, every hour you might go for a small walk, scroll through your phone, watch a video, play a video game. Balance intense periods of work with moments when you can just sit back and relax for a little bit. And at the same time, I also want you to think of long-term outlets. How are you gonna relieve stress after a week of hard work? Maybe on the weekend, you can watch a movie, hang out with your friends, go on a small hike. You need both those shorter-term day-to-day rewards, as well as these monthly or weekly longer-term rewards. And a very simple way to think about this is realizing you have finite energy. While you're working, you're consuming that energy, so it's very important that you find moments of time to recharge and re-energize. Alright, and tip number five, which I think is kind of underrated in this age of social media where everyone tries to be perfect online, is to talk it out. Look, for me personally, if I ever felt super stressed back in college, I would sometimes just go see my friends and vent to them for like 20 or 30 minutes. And it was great because they would often be in the exact same situation and they could empathize with my feelings and help me feel a lot better. And you know what? I think there's this sort of toxic mindset where top students think they always need to be perfect and infallible and that any sign of weakness or stress is just a sign that they're not cut out for harder classes or the Ivy League. As I've said maybe five times throughout this video, feeling stressed, the occasional low grade, these are all completely normal things, even for top students. I highly recommend finding people you trust, like siblings or friends, that you can talk to during these moments when you're not feeling the best. And it's great for two reasons. Because one, you feel like you have someone there that's actually listening to you and understands your feelings. And then in some cases, you might also have someone that can potentially offer advice. For example, if you're venting about AP Physics to your friend who's also in AP Physics, maybe they'll offer to help you on the next homework assignment. Or maybe they'll have some tips and tricks for the concepts you're super confused about. And look, I don't mean to make this an obnoxious plug, but if you're looking for a safe space where you can just vent about your feelings and talk to people in the same position as you, check out my Discord server. We have a channel for venting for students who just want to talk to someone. And we also have subject-specific channels for students who need help on particular topics. Come join the community if you haven't already. I try to chat there once a day and maybe I'll see you as well. Alright guys, that's all I got for this video. I genuinely hope it helped. And be sure to like, subscribe, and comment down below for what you want me to talk about next time.