Back to Dreaded School

It’s that time of year again! Back to school! Everyone is super pumped to get up early and get back at it… or not. This time of year can be like an emotional roller coaster.  I’m sure, most of you aren’t that excited to be grinding out long days in the classrooms again. At the same time, it can be pretty cool to see all of your friends again or maybe you were just starting to feel painfully bored. Regardless of how you feel, school is back and you’re in it for the long haul. So the question becomes: How do I balance the pleasant with the unpleasant?One-Mindfully taking each class and completing each assignment allows you to really stay focused on one thing in the moment, can keep you from falling behind, and helps you avoid feeling too overwhelmed. That dreaded sense of “Holy crap…that’s due this week?!” can really do a number on our anxiety level. Sometimes it seems like the amount of schoolwork you have can make that backpack so much heavier than it really is…so coming up with a cope ahead plan can really come in handy for those times when the work load starts to weigh pretty heavily on your mind. As we all know, school is so much more than just classes and homework. Sometimes parents can forget that the most stressful aspect of school is the social aspect. That Snapchat that threw some subtle shade your way… The Insta post that gave you F.O.M.O…The group texts that never seem to end… All of it amounts to stress, anxiety, distraction… and it’s all very valid and all very real. Here’s where your skills can come in handy. When the emotions start to run high, and you feel like you’re about to red-line, that’s where you can use things like your STOP, TIP, or Riding the Wave skills.Then, of course, on top of it all, are your parents. OBVIOUSLY, they don’t add any stress to your lives at all, do they? Uh huh… right. I have two words for you: DEAR and MAN. Use it! It’ll help you to communicate with them. Step back and Check The Facts with them often. Try hard to keep them in the loop and not shut them out. Validate, validate, validate! Believe it or not… they can be your allies… not just a source of agitation!I know… May seems like FOREVER AWAY! Take a deep breath…try to be where your feet are… you can do this!