Choma, while your time spent at school or varsity may be a happy experience, you may get moments where you feel as if you can’t cope. No two students will have the same experience, but there are school struggles that most will deal with at least once during their time there. Here’s how to deal with them choma.

Belonging to a group

As a student, you are still learning about who you are, but also how your identity will fit in with others. While you’re still in school, socially, you may have conflicting desires to make sure that you don’t conform to anyone else’s rules while still having the desire to be liked and accepted by others. In other words, you may try to not fit in, while still trying to fit in at the same time. Confusing hey? These may sometimes show in your fashion choices or the decisions you make when it comes to your social life, such as picking extramural activities. Take your time on choosing your friends while experimenting to find out what you like (and not like) for yourself.

Keeping up your grades

Whether you want to further your studies or start entering the workforce, or whether you’re already in tertiary and studying towards that career, maintaining good marks is important to you. It is also a difficult challenge to maintain good marks when you may also need to work to save for a car or tertiary, and have fun whenever possible. Use your time wisely, by tackling harder work first and cut down on joining too many clubs and societies at school.

Pressure to have sex

You are at that stage where you may experience “wild hormones,” and are likely to feel pressure or desire to experiment sexually. Before you do, understand how to protect yourself or others from unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). An honest conversation between you and your partner can help you both find solutions when it comes to difficult sexual decisions.

Substance Abuse

Choma, these days most students have access to drugs or alcohol, and at some point may be offered one of these substances by a friend or a stranger. You may sometimes believe that nothing bad can happen if you try something “just once.” Don’t do it choma, it will not end well. Rather step away from that situation and alert someone that you trust about it. If you’re already in this situation and think that you, or someone you know, may have a substance abuse problem, click here.

Lack of motivation

Low motivation may be one of the biggest problems you have to tackle during your education choma. Without enough personal drive to get through the volume of work to get you to the next grade or year, completing assignments and studying can seem impossible. First try and find out the reasons for your lack of motivation. You could be tired or overwhelmed with work, maybe something happening at home is stressing you out or you could be worried about failing the year. Whatever your reasons, speak to a friend, school counsellor, teacher, a parent or anyone else who can help you get back on track with your books. And of course you can always speak to me by sending a question to Ask Choma.

Choma, being a student can be difficult. You need to balance your schoolwork with other responsibilities, which can include work or time spent with your partner, friends and family. Once you start applying these tips, you can develop skills that will assist you throughout the rest of the year.

Do you have a story to share about your past school struggles, or would you like to Ask Choma something relating to coping at school this year? Whatever it is, I’m always here to listen. You’ve got this. You’re not alone.