AskJesse: School

Seeing as I live in the southern hemisphere, school has just started up again. And because it's time for an AskJesse, I thought I'd make it school related. I mean, you could say hell related too. Kidding! For each AskJesse I'll answer 5-10 questions, but because I'm still working on exposure for gypsiesandpixies I'll make the questions up for now. Enjoy!

☆How can you make new friends?☆

It doesn't matter if you're moving on from old friends or moving schools, making friends can actually be a big challenge. I've stuck with the same friends for virtually all my schooling, and I kind of wish I'd branched out more. It's nice to do your own thing and find new people, it makes you feel a lot more independent. If you're branching out from old friends, I suggest just walking up to a group of people that have the same interests and are nice people. You've known them for a while, so introductions don't have to be awkward. But it might be hard because they're a tight knit group and then you kind of pop up, don't worry! If these kids are people you really do think you can be friends with, it should work out. 

When it comes to going into high school from middle school, I feel like it's a lot easier. There isn't necessarily as much pressure on you because most other kids will be in the same position. Maybe try talking to someone who seems friendly or just as nervous as you, someone in a few of your classes, or someone with the same interests as you. I know it's scary as hell to just introduce yourself to a new group of people, but it's worth it to be happy and enhance your school experience. If you're moving schools, it's tougher. but definitely not impossible. You've just got to give yourself a little push.

☆How can you stay focused?☆

The internet is my best friend, having said that, it's also a really bad influence on my school work. Even books, the love of my life, can be hard on me. Families drive you insane, and so do significant others or friends. With all these contributing factors, no wonder kids are falling behind in school. Frankly, all these things are a pain in the ass. But how do you push those things aside to focus on actually passing school and getting decent grades? 

You've got to prioritise and make deals with yourself. If you're going to watch The Avengers for the millionth time, you have to finish that Romeo & Juliet essay. Eating that bag of lollies means going for a run or meditating to clear your head and then breezing through homework. Even while I'm writing this, it seems impossible, but it does work. You don't need to go to that party, you don't need to gossip about people you barely know, you don't need to watch Youtube for seven hours. 

There are small things you can do like consistently working in all your classes and at home. You don't have to do heaps of work everyday, but make sure you schedule it all out and do sat least some work each day. 

I'm not saying cut out fun, but there has to be a line. If you know that you can have a shitload of fun and still get good grades, awesome! If you know that you get easily distracted, then start assignments as soon as you get them, turn your phone off during classes, little things like this can be a big help.

☆What should I do about the bitches at my school?☆

Ignore them. Trust me. Even if you feel like you're "in" with them and they make you feel accepted and you have fun with them, they are so not worth it. Even if once upon a time you were best friends, don't risk it. Those girls and guys just need attention, they need to feel like they belong. Everyone wants to feel like they belong, but these idiots go about it in all the wrong ways. My best advice, not just for school but for life is this: no matter how well you know or get along with these people, no matter how close you are, no matter what they've done, it's so much easier to just ignore them. If you ignore them, then very soon you'll ignore their taunts and idiocies altogether. It's a nice feeling.

☆Tips for looking good/feeling good at school?☆

There are a lot of girls at my school who feel the need to cake their face in makeup to look and feel good. a. It's kind of pointless wearing that much makeup to school. b. You don't need to look like a model to feel good. If you genuinely have the time, money and effort to put on makeup and spend an hour on your hair, then I don't see anything wrong with making yourself look nice as long as you're comfortable with it. If putting on a little bit of concealer and mascara boosts your confidence, then I say go for it! 

Makeup can be a waste of time at school because you are ultimately there to learn. Having said that, as long as you're not overdoing it and aren't just doing it to look popular or cool then it's absolutely fine. Just make sure to look after your skin, because cleansers and moisturisers work a lot better then makeup. The kiss of death, however, for beautifully done makeup is P.E. At my school, you aren't even given enough time to change and do your makeup after/before and it really sucks. Try wearing minimal makeup on the days you have P.E, or at least only do your makeup after.

Feeling good at school, however, is a lot easier. All you have to do is the things that make you happy, and actually want to be there. If doing a fun hairstyle or wearing a little bit of makeup makes you confident and feel like you can kick school's ass, that's awesome. If hanging out with close friends makes you feel good, go for it. Another thing I should mention is eating healthy. I know, school is stressful and it's so much easier to pick up a bag of chips while you write an essay, but it's not exactly healthy. I hate saying this, because I love junk food, but I also love fruit and vegetables. If you eat good, you feel good. Oh my god I sound like an ad on the TV please don't hate me I hate myself for even saying this crap.

The best tip I can give you for feeling good at school, would probably be don't worry. You know what I'm talking about, those few things that you worry about constantly. Whether they're friends and family related, grades related, or something completely different. 90% of the time, all this worrying is unnecessary and really doesn't help. It just really sucks, so how do you make sure it doesn't affect you feeling good at school? Simple. Stop. Stop worrying and fretting about all those silly little things right now and breathe. It's going to be fine. Concentrate on getting through school and enjoying yourself.

☆How do you stay organised?☆

Buy a planner and use it. I buy a planner for school almost ever year, and I almost never use them. This year I'm going to try harder, and I can already tell that using my Bambi school planner will pay off. Keeping this planner with you and writing down an assignment's due date will help you stay on top of things. I think. Then again, it kind of makes me anxious. Oh well. Another thing you can do is buy things like (cheap) binders, organisers, books, anything you feel will help you. What helps one person won't necessarily help another. Also, I know this is weird, but keeping you school supplies organised can help you stay organised too. Having a specific place in your room and locker (if you have one, not many people at my school do) for certain books and stationary is kind of therapeutic because at least one aspect of your school life is organised. 

I hope this AskJesse helped you all out even a little bit! I know it's definitely not my best advice, but I'm still getting my bearings with the whole Q&A concept. Don't worry, the next AskJesse will be heaps better (apparently Aussies say "heaps" a lot, do we?)! If any of you little pixies have any questions or ideas for the next AskJesse, please let me know in the comments!

~Au Revoir!~