By EMILY SEPPELT

The Mirror reporter

Everyone has experienced it. Maybe you had a fight with a friend, or someone is saying something about you behind your back. The fact of the matter is, there is too much drama, attention seeking, and miscommunication in high school. I believe that if people were to be more attentive to other people’s feelings, and in general kinder, drama in high school would be a thing of the past.

You may be asking, “But how? Drama is unavoidable.”

To an extent, you are correct. While we can never truly be rid of fights and disagreement, there are many steps you can take to make friendship in high school less stressful.

First, you can get over yourself. A symptom of our young age, that many teenagers believe that everyone is always watching you, judging you, thinking about you. Most likely, they are not. Unbelievably, most good people do not go around trying to get revenge on other people, or purposefully go out of their way to do something their friend would not like.

When a friend does something you do not like, talk to them about it. They probably did not even realize what they were doing would upset you, or they were having a bad day. If they did hurt you on purpose, maybe they were being defensive. Either way, you should give them a chance to apologize before you jump to conclusions.

The second step to take is to try to be more empathetic. This piece of advice is linked to the last message. People make mistakes. They have bad days. They do not think through their actions. You should understand that other people have problems too, maybe bigger ones than what you are upset about with your friend. The key to avoiding drama and fighting in a friendship is communication. Try to understand what they are going through and be empathetic. If they are a good friend, they will understand and likely act the same way with you.

Another good lesson to learn is that not everyone is going to like you all the time. Just because you have been friends with someone for a long time, does not mean it is healthy to try to keep them in your life if they are toxic. Sometimes friendships have to fade away or end, and that is ok. You should evaluate if this person is good for you in your life and move on from there.

Lastly, know that high school is not the be all and end all of your entire life. Although it can be a fun time in your life, do not let high school be your golden years. If you put absolutely everything on your high school experience, I can guarantee you are going to feel some disappointment. It could be now, or in later years. Honestly, a good policy to adopt in life is to never let one part of your life be your golden years. You should strive, achieve, and have fun during every period of your life.

If you base everything on the here and now, you will be stressed about making everything perfect. Just try to be kind and understanding, and high school and life in general will be easier for you.