Assignment 13- Kristin

As a high school student, the one problem I encounter most in my life and in my peers' lives is stress.  Being teenagers is a weird time for our minds already, and the added pressure of meeting high grades and social standards is almost too much for us to handle. 

And here lies our problem- having almost too much to handle.  It's that "almost," that little bit of extra space that pushes our worry meters through the roof.  I suggest that we take away the almost, and make sure that we are doing exactly what we can handle- no more, no less.  Not only would this eradicate the time we spend worrying about things, but it would allow us to do even more activities that are beneficial to ourselves and our community.

Filling our plate to the max will leave absolutely no time for students to spend doing nothing.  Therefore, they will have no time to worry about the things they have to do.  Who has time to stress about something you have to do later when you have something to do now?  Procrastinating (and feeling guilty about procrastinating) will be eliminated, because we will always have other things to do instead.  This additionally always gives us something to do.  No more having to make decisions over what to do next- your schedule will be always full, and you will know exactly what's up next.

We will also never be unproductive.  Students can fill the extra time with volunteer inside or outside the home.  Teens will never be called "lazy" or "unproductive" again if we're always giving back to the community that has given us so much.  I bet you can think of at least one thing you've always wished you could do.  Stop wasting time on wishes, and do it!  It'll help with your mental health if you aren't pining over something, and you'll be doing something that you enjoy.  Bonus points if that thing helps other people, too.

The only issue with this is that we need to make sure our schedules don't overflow.  There are only so many hours in the day, so filling up the day with more things than we can do in twenty-four hours is dangerous and could take a toll on our mental health.  However, if a student accidentally makes too many commitments, they can always take some time out of their sleep.  In the grand scheme of things, five or six hours of sleep a night isn't really a big deal.

Overall, I believe this plan will greatly alleviate the stress of students, give back to the community, and help us better appreciate the twenty-four hours given to us.