Help Your Teen Finish The School Year On A High Note

I get it. There's a lot going on — and you have a daunting list of to-dos to wrap up in a matter of weeks. Here are three tips for ending the year on a high note while building resilience and confidence.

1. Prioritize to avoid procrastinating. It's not uncommon for young girls to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed after purposefully avoiding and delaying the most difficult projects or milestones at school. My recommendation to parents and teens is this: if it's difficult and you're tempted to avoid it, hit it head on with enthusiasm! So, make a list of what needs to get done before summer break, and prioritize. The most difficult tasks should be at the top of the list.

2. Break things into mini-plans. You can't do everything all at once. Planning and list-making are your friends. Set a few milestones or check points to make steady progress on major projects.

3. Celebrate each and every win. Remember to keep things in perspective. We aren't shooting for perfection, and there are successes to celebrate outside of letter grades. Through personal coaching, I help teen girls learn that when the going gets tough, you persevere, follow through and invest in personal growth. These skills will pay off far beyond high school. The most rewarding successes happen when clients are brave enough to be vulnerable and go after a goal (e.g. trying a new sport or club, improving time management or communication skills, stepping up to be a leader and collaborating in a group setting, facing a fear, speaking up and asking questions of a teacher, testing out a fashion trend, making a new friend, etc.). Remember... Celebrating and taking pride in accomplishments is an essential part of building confidence — do it generously!