year 12

You should never be stressed! Just aware that next year will be different to GCSEs. Relax! That doesn't mean, though, that you can't begin to prepare yourself for next year. That will likely help your stress. Here are some of my top tips for preparing for next year (and A levels): (note: I am finishing up Year 13/A2, so am speaking from fresh experience)

1. Choose subjects you like!!! That will make them a lot more interesting and easy. Don't choose something you don't like; you'll be stuck with it for at least a year.
2. If you want to feel a bit more prepared, start looking at your syllabuses. What will the exams look like? What sort of content will you be covering?
3. If you wish, you can start doing some light reading up on your content. I wouldn't advise, however, that you actually start learning off the syllabus, unless your teacher asks you to. Don't stress yourself out by thinking that you have to have learnt half of the syllabus by the time the year starts - you don't!!
4. Enjoy the time between GCSE exams and the start of Year 12. Once term starts, you'll be getting right into the syllabus, so get a good rest and be mentally ready to hit the ground running.
5. Try to do assignments as soon as you can, preferably the day you are set them. This will help you stay on top of your work, and procrastination actually just ends up creating more stress.
6. Be ready to be more independent than at GCSE level. Your teachers will begin treating you more as adults, since A levels mean only two more years to uni, which will be at a whole other level of independence.
7. If you want to get those top grades, you will have to spend more than just the required minimum working. Going the extra mile will pay off. However, be aware that overloading yourself too much will lead to a lot of stress and potentially a burnout, so regulate how much you are working.
8. Get into a sleep schedule that will give you enough sleep to wake up on time and be fresh and ready to be productive the next day.
9. Most importantly: be gracious! Don't put too much pressure on yourself! That will cause stress and anxiety. It's okay to fail, as long as you learn form it. Trust your future self to take care of future tasks, and let your present self do what it can now to help your future self.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions, and I hope Year 12 goes well for you!