Lifestyle

5 Ways to Handle Back to School Stress

Leanna Olbinsky

The first few weeks of the new school year can be stressful enough during a normal school year. The uncertainties of this fall are making settling into the school year even more challenging for many students and parents. Back to school stress is hitting kids and parents at all points during the school year, not just those first few weeks.

Whether you or your children are heading back to a classroom or figuring out how to learn online, sticking to a schedule that includes finding time for yourself to do things you enjoy each day is a must for managing stress. Here are five tips for keeping your stress levels down while adjusting to the new school year!   

Work Out With Sworkit

Working out regularly is an excellent stress reliever. With many gyms still closed, getting a quick workout in at home has never been easier.

Sworkit is packed with at-home workouts to fit every schedule and skill level, ranging from peaceful yoga if you need a calm break from your routine to intense Tabata that can help you blow off some major steam. 

Schedule Your Day

Nothing creates a stressful school day like waking up with no idea what you need to accomplish that day. Only having a vague idea of what assignments are due during the week, or realizing you accidentally deleted the email with the login information for your Zoom classes are not good ways to start a Monday.

Instead, dedicate fifteen minutes each evening to creating a schedule for the upcoming day or week. Add due dates to your calendar, and make sure that the materials you need to get homework and other activities done are organized and ready to use. 

Talk about It

Keeping whatever is bothering you to yourself only makes it more stressful. Instead, try having a conversation with your parents, teacher, a close friend, or your children if you notice signs of significant stress in your life.

Often, sharing your problems with someone you trust is enough to make you feel less like you’re dealing with them alone, especially during a confusing back to school season when no one really knows exactly what is going on. 

Mother is feeding her son with fried eggs, leaning over table

Follow a Routine

The start of a new school year usually makes sticking to a routine easier. But if you or your kids are learning at home this fall, you may be having trouble creating any sort of consistent routine.

If you’ve found yourself stuck in your summer habits of getting up late and eating meals whenever you feel like it, this complacency could start wreaking havoc on online learning. If you and your kids are working and schooling from home, make an effort to get up, eat meals, and go to bed at the same time each day to give yourself some semblance of a normal structure.  

Set Boundaries

Back to school season may be one of the busiest times of the year, but that doesn’t mean trying to spend every waking minute on schoolwork will make you more productive. Setting boundaries between school and your personal life can be challenging enough during a normal school year, and it can be especially easy to feel guilty whenever you’re not working if you’re learning at home this fall. Being intentional about giving yourself permission to take breaks and finding a bit of “me time” each day is an essential part of maintaining your sanity as your schedule gets busier.  

Heading back to school can be stressful, but being intentional about taking time for yourself can help make each day a bit more manageable. Fitting time for fitness into each day is a quick and effective way to keep stress levels down on even the most hectic days. Whether you have ten minutes or an hour, try one of Sworkit’s fully customizable workouts this week to give yourself some “me time” and blow off some steam. 

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