A Guide to Dealing With Senioritis: How to Fight On
By Sadie Jones, Swimming World Intern
With the second semester of school commencing for students all over the world and with the vision of graduation coming into focus for all high school and college seniors, there also comes the overwhelming power of senioritis. This struggle to stay focused in school to finish out the year tends to bleed into all aspects of these students’ lives, including athletics. Being so near to closing the chapter of your life that consists of school brings a new excitement that makes everything on your to-do list fade into the background. It can create a sense of dread toward practices and a lack of motivation for setting goals. Swimmers often feel like they have been participating in the sport for so long, which causes them to get sick of it and makes them even more excited for the next chapter of their life – whether it is swimming at the college level, with a club team, or stopping the sport all together. Here are some tips to get through the feeling of senioritis and make it to the next stage in your life.
Make the Most of Your Time Now
It sounds cliché, but try your best to make the most of the time you have with the people that surround you in this very moment. Making the realization that you will never be in this situation ever again is a huge step toward experiencing gratitude. While counting down the practices until you get to leave for college or graduate from college might seem like the only thing you want to do, take some time to look around at the amazing things and people you have right in front of you, and don’t take them for granted. When you think of your team, coaches, and swimming community, there will always be positives that come to mind. Use those positives as motivation to soak in every moment.
Put Attainable Goals in Place
Set goals for the future that you can start to work on now. Think of things that you can and want to achieve before graduation, instead of ones that make you wait until the next chapter of your life. It is likely that you are preparing for a few big swim meets before graduation day rolls around. Do not get sidetracked by walking across the stage and focus on the task at hand. Put goal times in place for each of your events and before every practice, focus on one thing you want to work on. Developing and reflecting on your skills in and out of the pool will help you prepare and force you to use this time in a useful manner, while also distracting you from the looming graduation date.
Reflect
Another productive use of your time while stuck in the loop of senioritis is to reflect on the past couple of years. What has gone right? What has gone wrong? What do I need to fix? These are all questions you should ask yourself before you take the next leap. The only way to move forward and expand both physically and mentally is to reflect. Doing this will also help hold yourself accountable as you move forward into your new phase of life and the act of reflection will become constant. Make sure you are reflecting on all aspects of your life, including your swimming.
While senior year of high school or college might feel like it is dragging on forever, know that it will be over before you know it. There are a few things to keep you busy, and which will help you become a better person in and out of the pool.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.