I know, I know. I’m talking about school and you might not have even started yet. Deep breaths, people, deep breaths. School is already full of so much anxiety and this year is no different. In fact, you might be facing so much more anxiety and stress than you ever have before due to the pandemic. To ease some of this unwanted anxiousness, here are some of my tips for the upcoming school year:
1. Planners Are Your New Best Friend
Planning out your activities, classwork, and when you need time to yourself are perfect ideas for managing your time wisely. Scheduling out these times in advance allows you to work around them and to make sure you get things done in a productive manner.
2. Letting You Know, Breathing Does Help
As an individual with a lovely hint of anxiety and autism, I remind myself to breathe all the freaking time. I’ll find myself not breathing as a technique not to freak out and in reality, it causes you to overthink and for the stress hormones to populate more. Breathe! Take a deep breath of fresh air and try to ground yourself. Whether you are stressing about a chemistry project, an upcoming French test, or a first date, just breathe and remember you are amazing and beautiful!
3. Taking Breaks
No, I do not mean naps or scrolling through instagram. Good try, though! Scrolling through social media is not a break and the blue light increases stress, unless you are looking at cute puppies! I suggest a quick walk around the block or just up to your kitchen to get a healthy snack like a piece of fruit. Staring at a screen or textbook too long doesn’t help anyone, don’t you dare try to “push through it either” just to get it done. You’ll end up with a half-done job that you won’t be proud of! Be gentle to yourself and give your mind a break!
4. Make Learning Fun!
I know some subjects are so horrible (cough cough, pre-calculus, blegh) but absolutely loathing the class is just going to make learning about the topic insufferable. This helps NO ONE! Try the reward system! For every two chapters you read of Darwin’s Evolution, read a chapter of the new book you got! Whatever can positively motivate you to be productive!