Teenage life is unnecessarily complicated, frustrating and stressful. High school is supposed to be the time of our lives, and while for some people it is, for many people, there’s too much stress to really get to enjoy the four years we spend here. There are a lot of easy ways to simplify your life, to try to make high school the fully educational and fun time it’s supposed to be.

Stay organized. While this may take a little extra work in the day-to-day activities, you’ll save time in the long run. This doesn’t mean completing assignments as soon as they’re passed out, but consider giving yourself the last three days before the due date, rather than starting the night before it’s due. This way, it’s broken down into chunks, allows time for more thought, and will provide a chance to do any other assignments that may be due during this three day period.

Stay caught up on sleep. While it’s unrealistic for most high school students to get the full 8-10 recommended hours, try to get enough sleep that you aren’t snoozing your alarm ten times every morning. If you’re too tired to wake up in the morning, you aren’t going to bed early enough. While your homework and social life are both very important, your brain needs a certain amount of sleep to keep you functioning properly, and this is more important.

Set aside time to relax. While there may not be time for this every day, once or twice a week it’s extremely beneficial to do something relaxing. Whether this is getting your nails done, watching one of your favorite shows on Netflix, taking an excessively long bath, etc., it’s crucial to managing your stress. It may seem wasteful to take an hour out of your homework time to watch tv, but it can improve your performance and is definitely worthwhile.

Exercise. While this can be hard to motivate yourself to do, it can help release the buildup of stress you obtain throughout the week. Exercising is also good for your physical health and can help your concentration. One way to help motivate yourself to exercise is to have a partner, which can also help with keeping you involved in your social life. Staying in touch with your friends is also extremely important, and this is a way to spend quality one on one time with one of your friends.

School is bound to be stressful because it impacts our whole life. But you shouldn’t let this stress become overwhelming, and there are some things you can do to lessen it. Stay organized, get a good night’s sleep, relax, and exercise. It will be well worth your while.