Surviving Year 7 in a British Secondary School...

I'm now in Year 8 at school and Year 7 was, to be honest, a terrible year for me. I had to endure settling in, being talked to by Year 10s & Year 11s and living with, well, not many friends. I now reflect on myself and think... heck, I would not want to be my own friend after I remind myself of what I was like! I didn't even make an effort to make friends, I was intimidated by everyone else... strange to think that now, only a year later, I'm friends with so many more people, have actually gone out with a friend (not in the dating way), keep in touch with friends using my phone and talk back to Year 11s who treat me unfairly. None of this happened in Year 7. I have made so much progress and learnt so many lessons I figured I should share. First, here's a quick summary of Year 7, skipping some parts ...

At the start I found it very difficult to make friends, and frankly I didn't even try. I replied to everyone in a hostile way, finding them annoying, and at breaks I always sat at the back with a notebook, writing and drawing, getting annoyed every time someone came to me. I was a very cold-hearted person. Things didn't improve, I hated school, and even considered some days to be ''curses''- Tuesday and Thursday, since they were the days I had P.E I was rude, I was happy on the days I was sick and every time somebody asked me a question I snapped at them. I found everything about them annoying, and I was a horrible person in general. Year 11s often asked me what year I was in, what my name was, but that's what they do to Year 7s I guess. I was shy, isolated, and this caused my grades to soar to levels I never thought I was capable of. Exceptionally high, but it came with a cost- I lacked the ability to be happy.I became incredibly  indecisive, growing apart from a best friend I had for 7/8 years...

Then I started getting sick. Stomach aches became even more frequent, but I shook it off as just a virus. They kept coming back, but I endured lessons with agonising stomach aches and pain, I was on the verge of crying, and did skip some days because of that. I had an awful pain in my toe which stopped me from walking properly days before my last day of Year 7 which came with awful stomach aches. One time in assembly I had a terrible stomach ache since I woke up, and it hurt so much I ended up closing my eyes and looking down, it hurt so much I was shaking... a girl who I thought hated me noticed and helped me to the medical room... I'm so grateful, and turns out she didn't hate me after all...
Those final weeks of Year 7 were painful ones. Pain so intense I can't describe it properly. My last day was a Tuesday. I forced myself to walk with the toe pain, survived lessons, I couldn't even make it home from the bus stop so my dad picked me up. On Thursday I went to the doctor and they had a blood test done. The next day, they said there was something wrong with my liver. I was worried. I spent 7 hours in A&E and got admitted into hospital.
I didn't come back to school. I missed a month of term time and there was a portion of the holidays I couldn't even go out.
In hospital I started this blog. It details some of my journey.
I ended up missing school so badly.

I was so glad to come back to school. Everyone made me two big cards with their signatures, and I got a card from my head of year ;]
I was so happy, and so far Year 8 is a good one. People noticed I got more positive.
Yes, I was confused as hell in my first week xD

I feel I missed something, and if that's the case that will be another post.

Anyway, here are 10 tips for surviving Year 7!

1.  Don't be shy! Everyone is the same age as you, perhaps younger, so talk! Someone will like you!
2. Don't be hostile. Be open and friendly with everyone.
3. Introduce yourself to everyone and give them a chance to talk!
4. Get all your homework done. I find it easier to do at school (not the period before it's due though, haha)
5. Don't wander off by yourself- try to socialise! There will be people like you!
6. Adhere to rules. Detentions are not worth your time XD
7. Don't take risks to be cool. If that's the case, they're not worth your time.
8. You don't wanna go hungry. You don't. Eat lunch every day, and make sure you eat a snack at break. HAVE BREAKFAST!!!
9. Older years treating you unfairly? Stand up! If they appear outraged and stare at you, it's a good sign XD Just don't insult them, just stand up for the right thing :)
10. Don't spend too much time on schoolwork

Phew, this was a tiring post to make :)