High school is hard enough as it for most students: Homework, stress, SAT, more stress, making friends, did I mention stress? And these examples are only a portion of the troubles students face. Now, take that student and add an expert level of procrastination, very believable excuses, a severe case of forgetfulness, little to no sleep, poor hand-eye coordination, overcompensation, the occasional mental breakdown, word vomit, a coffee addiction, a wardrobe that consists of 90% sweatpants/pajama pants, and a messy bun or hat to cover up the fact that they woke up 5 minutes before the bus.

If you are reading this and can relate to at least 4 of the 10 things listed, congratulations, you’re a hot mess. Now don’t freak out, while it may not be curable, it isn’t a death sentence. You can live your life and to make things easier for you, I’m going to give you a few pointers on how to survive high school as a hot mess.

Tip #1: Picking out your outfit.

• Yes I know, the majority of your wardrobe is sweatpants, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t stressful to pick an outfit. You may be a mess and really lazy, but you aren’t a slob, so at least have an outfit that matches. That leads us to my first piece of advice: always wear a black shirt. Black matches with almost everything and it’s easy to throw on while you’re simultaneously brushing your teeth, brushing your hair, eating breakfast and running to catch your bus.

Tip #2: Sleeping Habits and Coffee Addictions.

• If you’re like me, you spend more time on Netflix and YouTube than you spend sleeping. (Who needs sleep when you can binge watch Grey’s Anatomy?) Sleeping at night is for the weak. After all, that’s why we have coffee. Coffee is what gives a hot mess life; it makes it so we can function slightly more like a human instead of a zombie. If you’re reading this and coffee isn’t your best friend, I suggest you make a few adjustments to that friend group. On the other hand, if you’re reading this and you have a Starbucks gold card, I can bet you that I’ve spent more money there in the last month than you did in the last year.

Tip #3: Procrastination and Excuses.

• *Disclaimer: I would’ve spent more time writing this tip, but I completely forgot. I had a really important thing (Netflix) to do last night, and I was running around all morning (woke up five minutes ago), and didn’t have time to do it. 😉 

Tip #4: Forgetfulness.

• Everyone forgets things every once in a while, hot messes are just more prone to catch a case of forgetfulness. Here is some stuff I do in the morning to remember what I need to do: 1) If you need to remember something put it on top of something you never leave the house without. That way, when you run around your house looking for it, you’ll also find your visual to- do list for the day. 2) Set as many alarms as possible. It’ll annoy you to the point that you want to throw your phone at the wall, but at least you’ll remember what you need. This may vary considering I still sleep through 10 of my 15 alarms in the morning but hey, it may work for you. 3) I forgot this step, but that means it probably wasn’t important.

Tip #5: Breakdowns.

• As much as we don’t want to experience breakdowns, it’s bound to inevitably happen to you more than you might want to admit. Some of the time you can’t help them and other times they are preventable or not necessary. So calm down, yes it’s okay to have them every so often but if you’re going to freak out over small things it’s going to help no one. Distract yourself from the problem: Talk to someone, read a book, binge Netflix, go for a run, and if all else fails go home and stuff your face with chocolate because chocolate fixes everything.

Tip #6: Be yourself!

• Last but not least, be yourself not what others want you to be! Don’t let labels define who you are, so what you’re a hot mess? In the end it’s just a word, you are who you want to be and should embrace it. If someone is going to judge you for the way you look and act, they don’t deserve your time or stress. Being a hot mess isn’t a bad thing, it’s just another thing that makes you who you are. So go ahead, rock those sweatpants, throw your hair up in that messy bun, binge on netflix, have that occasional meltdown, be voted most likely to have a child born addicted to starbuck in your yearbook (….okay that last one may only apply to me but still it’s possible for you too!), and most importantly be yourself!

If you follow these six tips, you’re all set to survive high school. Oh and one last thing, congratulations, you’re a hot mess!