High school guilt. It’s the feeling that you should be doing something more to better yourself constantly. That you should be keeping up with your classmates bragging about achieving their perfect SAT score, stellar report card, new club positions, and unbelievably high paying jobs. 

I was diagnosed with high school guilt from the minute I walked into high school during my first week of freshman year. Already, my classmates surrounding me had already begun to branch out into different clubs, sports, organizations, friend groups, and cliques. And it only got worse. I watched my classmates begin publishing books, creating apps, acquiring internships with Harvard professors, and more.

Through the midst of this competition, I began to join whatever things I could. I quickly became the captain of the junior varsity basketball team while also participating in a variety of tutoring clubs. Looking back, I remember how unhappy I was throughout my first two years solely because I believed that more was always better. Balancing a variety of random activities I didn’t enjoy quickly burned me out. 

It wasn’t until quarantine when I truly realized that I wasn’t grounded into these activities. Slowly but surely, I soon gravitated towards the things I could feel good about: student council, cross country, track and field, and even the newspaper. If you had told my introverted and judgemental freshman self that I would become president of the school, I would’ve snorted in your face. 

No matter how long you’ve been a part of something or even someone, don’t be afraid to let go of it if it doesn’t make you happy. Find your cure for high school guilt and surround yourself with engaging things that make you happy.