Welcome to the last edition of Ask Iz for the school year! Thank you everyone for reading all of my articles. If you want to read more advice columns feel free to look back on the voyager site or wait until September for something new! In the meantime, thank you for reading and enjoy the 5th edition of Ask Iz: Advice From A Friend!

QUESTION: Why is studying for finals so stressful? (Voorhees, NJ)

  With the end of the school year approaching, it’s easy to not have motivation or be stressed out by finals. When it comes to not having the motivation to study for finals, I recommend you pace yourself. Figure out what subjects are the most difficult and deal with those first then go to the easier ones. 

  Another thing that I recommended is studying with friends. My friends and I go to someone’s house and put on music and spend about two hours working. Then we like to give ourselves a break and go outside for a bit. Something else that is really important is to remember to make time for yourself. Don’t spend all of your time studying, get outside, or call friends. When you get home from school don’t immediately grab your books and start studying, grab a snack and watch a movie.

QUESTION: How do I learn to love myself? (Marlton, NJ)

  In today’s day and age with everything that’s being posted on social media it can be really easy to lose sight of who you are and forget how to love yourself. Something that a lot of people do is fake it till you make it. If someone asks you what you don’t like about yourself, say nothing. Say you like everything about yourself even if it isn’t true, make yourself believe it. 

  Something else that you help to see yourself in a more positive light is to write. You could write in a journal or you could take whiteboard markers and write on a mirror. Take the mirror in your room and write positive things, an example could be “you are beautiful” or “know your worth”. Maybe even add some doodles to make it more fun! 

  Of course there will always be things that you don’t like about yourself and that’s okay. Nobody’s perfect and it’s okay that you’re not. You don’t have to meet the standards of the rest of the world. 

QUESTION: How can I learn to accept my own sexuality? (Blackwood, NJ) 

  I came out when I was twelve years old so I understand how scary it can be. You’re learning something new about yourself and that’s a very weird thing to come to terms with. A few things that really helped me when I was trying to come to terms with who I am was talking to someone and writing my feelings down.  As far as writing goes just grab a notebook and write everything you’re thinking and how it’s making you feel. Read it back afterwards, it can give you a better understanding of what’s happening. 

   Another thing is talking to someone. If you are still trying to accept it yourself you may not be ready to tell other people and that’s completely fine. There’s many LGBTQ+ organizations and hotlines that will have resources to help or someone to talk to. The Trevor Project and LGBT National Hotline are a few of the hundreds that are offered. Be patient, coming out is scary so don’t rush yourself. 

Trigger Warning: This section talks about having an eating disorder, if it is a touchy subject for you feel free to skip to the next question

QUESTION: How do I tell my parents I have an eating disorder? (Frisco, TX)

  Having an eating disorder is a really hard thing to come to terms with. Sometimes your family might pick up that something is wrong if you’re acting differently. Other times they may not notice and that’s okay. A good way to go about telling them is to sit them down and tell them you think you have a problem. It’s easy to get flustered while talking about something so heavy so ask them not to say anything until you’re done. 

   Figuring that you have an eating disorder is a very hard pill to swallow on its own so be patient with yourself. If you can’t work up the courage to tell your parents, try to talk to your close friends or even a hotline. The NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) has a website with so many resources to help. You could call or text their hotline (800)- 931-2237. Remember that you’re not alone, there’s always someone who cares and try to eat something today.  

  That’s the end of Ask Iz: Advice From A Friend. Thank you so much for reading and keeping up with me over the school year. If you are struggling with anything there’s always people that will listen. You’re friends, family and the many hotlines out there will always listen to you. Or even me, feel free to email me or reach out on instagram. 

   With that being said I will see you guys in September.