SKIPPING SCHOOL

Dear Jellybean,

I have a bad habit of skipping school! It's usually the first two periods of school that i miss. I just can't get myself to get out of the house on time. I wake up at 6 and go to school at 8 but now it takes me 2 hours to get dressed and 1 hour to do my makeup and hair. Then, i do things i shouldn't be doing like go on the computer. Some people have noticed i'm not at school in the morning and make me feel like the 'bad' kid who skips for fun. And i don't! I like learning and going to school and by skipping i miss a lot of new material. Also what if my parents find out? I'm dead! Please help me get my life back on track.
-Skipper

Dear Skipper,

First, you spend how much time getting ready for school? I'm hoping that 2 hours getting dressed, and 1 hour on makeup hair are typos, but somehow I don't think they are. You should know that, outside getting dressed for attending the Academy Awards, there is no justification for taking so long to get ready. Talk about overdoing it!

I could give you some practical advice, like laying out your clothes for school the night before, and you can find quick get-ready hair routines at this page, and quick makeup tricks on this one. But I'm concerned that there might be more going on here, than just learning beauty routines that take less time.

Since you say you like school, and that's not the issue, I have to wonder if your overly-long morning routine is about something else. Do you have problems with obsession in other areas of your life? If you find yourself stuck in obsessive behaviors, including but not limited to changing your clothes a dozen times before finding the right outfit, doing and redoing your makeup, not being able to stop IMing/texting/surfing Facebook, getting caught up in celebrity crushes and so on, you could have an obsessive compulsive disorder, or at least issue.

I'm not saying that any of the behaviors above have to be a warning sign, on their own. But when any behavior gets away from us, and interferes with our daily lives, it can be called an addiction, or a "disorder". Just like being addicted to drugs or alcohol, it can be hard to stop this kind of behavior on your own, without help.

As you must know, your skipping habit comes with some very high risks. Not only would your parents hit the roof if they found out, but you could be suspended - or even expelled - if your attendance dips below a certain standard. That could make a permanent mark on your school record, and really affect your future in a negative way.

My suggestion is, go to school and talk to a guidance counselor. Ask for a promise that your talk will be kept confidential before you start (all you need is someone blabbing to your parents), and then explain what's going on. You could also visit your family doctor to ask for a referral to a therapist or psychologist. If you are diagnosed as having some sort of OCD issue, you might require medication, therapy or a combination of the two to change your habits.