Students juggle day-to-day stress

The last season-and-a-half of every year is a very stressful time for seniors at Marysville High School. Many are juggling honors classes, jobs and school clubs ... not to mention completing and turning in applications for UCs, CSUs and scholarships before the end of the year. Most seniors are also desperately trying to hang on to a social life or just simple relaxation.

Is accomplishing all of this even possible? Some students seem to have an easy to moderate time with this. Others are only able to accomplish this through the use of caffeinated drinks, late nights and breakdowns.

"Welcome to 'real life,'" some adults say. "You're never going to have enough time for everything you want to do. Get used to it."

Is there a way to not just juggle but also live life? Or is it only possible to get through life with shot nerves and Starbucks gift cards? These two critical questions offer countless answers, explanations and anecdotes about how to live life — or give up and crawl into a hole.

Is there a way to do everything without giving up sleep, health and fun, or are all high-achievers doomed to a stressful life?

Jacob Kerstan, a senior, believes there must be a compromise between work and recreation: "I think that it's possible, but you have to set priorities straight — and ahead of time. You also need to focus on (your priorities) and use every minute of your time. You can't be a slacker, that's for sure. I realized that this year."

Jacob explained that his parents like to travel during winter vacation. This year, though, Jacob has to work on a research paper while traveling with his family. "You kind of have to work on stuff a little at a time."

Gavin Frost, also a senior, definitely has a different opinion: "I think no matter how hard we work for what we want, we'll never be happy with it," she said. "So I think we're doomed to be stressed out and unhappy. It just seems like that."

"Well, I think you have to take things — the most important ones — and prioritize them, or you'll fail," said senior Hancel Chavez Ferreyra. "Last year, my family went to Mexico early, and I had to finish my class finals a week early. But I didn't have enough time to take all of the finals, so I didn't pass English. I didn't figure everything out like I should have done."

It is obvious that people's opinions about and solutions to these problems differ. Whether they are prioritizing goals, accepting stress as a part of life or choosing between school and family, students are finding efficient — and inefficient — ways to deal with their finite quota of time. It seems that there is no single method of managing life and its stresses.

Chynna Martinez is a senior at Marysville High School. Her column appears every six weeks in Education.