Michelle Valencia
Opinion Editor
Junior Madison Jones is a busy teen like everyone else but she has learned the tactics of being able to balance her favorite hobbies and after school activities while still managing to perform well in school. This has allowed her to have a healthy social life and not be entirely consumed only in school.
“In the free time that I find myself having, I like to work out, I try to spend time with my friends. I also love nature so I go on trips and hikes as well as hunting and fishing and I also work,” Jones said.
Although Jones has fun in her life, she also greatly prioritizes doing well in school. She takes rigorous classes and has maintained a high GPA from the start of her high school career to now. She has stopped pressuring herself keep up her grades which has allowed her to live a much more anxiety free life.
“School is very important to me but I just recently realized that grades don’t matter enough to consume my whole life and be super stressed over. Yes, you need to get good grades, however, if I have a B and my friend has an A, we’re still getting the same diploma at the end of the year when we graduate,” Jones said.
This mindset has helped Jones feel less overwhelmed by school and allowed opportunity for more social activities in her schedule, leading her to free her mind. Now her mind is occupied with enjoyable activities.
“After school I find myself doing things I love like going to the gym or hanging out with my boyfriend or friends. These things allow for me to get a break from school and enjoy life,” Jones said.
Before, Jones dealt with various challenges that she had to face because of how her schedule was set up. Things like procrastination, over scheduling, prioritizing things that are not important over others that are.
“I have always had a super busy schedule, even when I was young I used to have to write down everything to make sure I wouldn’t miss anything. It was a constant battle of stress that went through my head managing everything all at once. Sometimes I find myself having to cut things I would like to do just to get things I have to do. I used to procrastinate a lot, so having a full schedule did help me with that but I have learned different ways to manage my time now,” Jones said.
While most people would find Jones’ schedule hard to balance alongside school and all the work that comes with it, she seems to find equilibrium in her life. “The social aspect of my life is important to me just because I feel like I’m the best me when I’m around people and it makes me feel happiest. But also doing well in school makes me feel good,” Jones said.
The Pioneer Press 