As most of our summer holidays are coming to an end and the fall approaches, it is quite common to experience some stress related to getting back to school routine. During the holidays keeping up with a study routine or a to-do list ritual understandably might have been quite forgotten. Consequently, returning to school after some holidays can feel difficult at first, but is quite a common feeling among many students. It is an understandable feeling as learning to get back to a routine of studying or working can sometimes take a while to adjust.
So how to prepare for the start of the new school year? It’s good to remember a few things as a student when getting back to studying mode, especially if you are experiencing some stress about returning to school.
Showing compassion for yourself at the beginning of the school year is a great way to start things off after the holidays. If you are struggling with the beginning, remember to be understanding towards yourself. There has been a break in between studying so for example being hard on yourself about things taking more time than before, isn’t going to be helpful for you. Thus, it is good to trust your process of getting back to studying, even if it is first taking some time.
How to prepare for the new school year?
– Try to identify positive things about returning to school. Sometimes recalling positive things might be a helpful way of seeing returning to school as a less stressful event. Try to think of positive things that would matter to you, for example, that you can meet other students at the school, meet your friends or new potential friends and begin to learn new things when returning to your studies.
-Plan a routine which includes time for rest and free time. If the thought of future workload is causing some of your stress, you might want to try out creating a realistic plan for your study routine. A clear planned routine may strengthen your confidence in dealing with the future workload.
– Talk about your feelings about going back to school with others. Talking about your feelings about getting back to school can also help in adjusting your thoughts on it. You might also gain new perspectives on the new upcoming school year.
– Set positive but realistic expectations. It can be helpful to have a positive outlook on the upcoming challenges of the year and have faith in your abilities with studying. However, expecting that there might be some more difficult moments as well might prepare you to also act on those more difficult situations.
– Remember to breathe and reach out for help when needed. Breathing exercises are always helpful in calming down your nervous system and relaxing the body when feeling more stressed. It is also good to know your limits and to get help from the outside, when it is needed with your studying or planning of a routine.
– Surround yourself with supportive people. Try to surround yourself with people that are supportive of your studying and uplift you with your personal goals and school achievements.