As you turn your head in the school hallway, hand holding, light pecks on the cheek, and warm hugs can be spotted in nearly every corner; however, while these couples may appear to be at their happiest, high school is one of the most stressful times in our lives to cope with on our own, much less with a significant other.
“[When you are in a relationship], make sure to work through problems as a team and be clear with what you want in a relationship so that you can be mindful of each other’s needs,” Theo Warner, senior, said.
From the moment cooties turn into crushes, kids are pressured into finding themselves a boyfriend or girlfriend. While this may appear cute at such a young age, when middle school relationships turn into high school ones, keeping a partner only becomes increasingly difficult. And once those relationships graduate to college, students often end up dealing with the fact that they may go to a different school than their partners, further putting into question whether a high school relationship is worth it.
“Balancing a relationship in high school can definitely be hard since you are balancing school, work, sports, and sometimes even more, but as long as you make yourself a priority and make sure you are still putting in time for yourself to get what you need to accomplish done, you can balance a relationship and school. Sometimes having the extra support in high school can also be helpful to get you through the struggles that high school brings,” Hadley Duplantis, senior, said.
Not only are students going through the stress that comes with maintaining good grades, performing well in sports, and participating in varying extracurriculars, but when combined with a relationship, they must also work to maintain another person’s happiness, which is often difficult. As there are only so many hours in a day, attempting to fit a significant other into your schedule may only increase your stress levels, often making it feel as if being in a relationship is doing more harm than good.
“It can be very difficult to have a relationship in high school because it is hard to commit to someone when you have many other priorities like school, sports, and clubs. When you have a relationship, you have to prioritize them while still having school and extracurriculars, it is hard to balance out,” Karli Mancini, freshman, said.
In addition to school, the teenage years are dedicated to finding yourself in life, and while this is already quite a treacherous task to do on your own, when you must help another on their journey as well, you risk potentially losing yourself in the process. As we are all still just children growing into our future selves, we simply may not be ready to handle the maturity level needed to maintain a happy, healthy, and especially faithful relationship.
“Balancing a relationship while being a high school student is super tough (…) At times, it requires the sacrifice of time in order to get it all done, but personally, I love being able to find a happy medium that keeps me on top of things while maintaining my relationship,” Payton Truelove, sophomore, said.
Even though I am writing this as a student who is in a happy relationship, it has certainly been hard work to get to this point. If one has even the slightest doubts about venturing from the single life, just remember to follow what your heart is telling you, as peer pressure should not determine whether you are ready to become another’s partner.
