6 Ways to Ensure a Successful First Day Back to School

The start of a new school year can bring mixed emotions - excitement, nervousness, and a touch of uncertainty. Ensuring a successful first day back not only sets a positive tone for the academic year but also contributes significantly to your mental well-being.

Here are six effective strategies to make your return to school a mentally healthy and successful experience:

1. Prepare Ahead:

Proper preparation can alleviate anxiety. Organize your school supplies, pack your bag, and lay out your outfit the night before. This simple act can ease your mind and ensure a smooth morning routine.

2. Establish a Calming Morning Routine:

Begin your day with activities that promote calmness. Whether it's a few minutes of meditation, a light breakfast, or a short walk, these rituals can set a positive tone for the day.

3. Positive Affirmations:

Start your day with positive self-talk. Remind yourself of your strengths, capabilities, and past achievements. Repeating affirmations can help boost your confidence and reduce self-doubt.

4. Connect with Friends:

Reconnecting with friends can ease the transition back to school. Social interactions provide a sense of belonging and support, which are crucial for mental well-being.

5. Set Realistic Expectations:

It's normal to feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. Remember that nobody has a perfect first day. Set realistic expectations for yourself and focus on the progress you make rather than striving for perfection.

6. Practice Self-Care:

Throughout the day, prioritize self-care. Take short breaks between classes to stretch, practice deep breathing, or simply relax. Stay hydrated, eat balanced meals, and ensure you get a good night's sleep afterward.

Remember, a successful first day goes beyond academics. Prioritizing your mental well-being contributes to your overall success and happiness throughout the school year. Approach the day with positivity, self-compassion, and the belief that you have the tools to handle whatever comes your way. 🌟📚 #BackToSchool #MentalHealthMatters #PositiveStart

4 Ways to Reduce Your Back to School Stress - From Our Therapists

School coming to a start can add pressure for everyone. It is important to take the time to focus on ways to make the transition as smooth as possible. Having a plan on how to tackle the new school year is important.

Here are 4 ways you can make sure this school year is smooth.

1. Create a routine - Did you know that predictability sends soothing messages to the brains of those that struggle with stress? Setting up a routine such as a regular bedtime, a daily gym session, or even a music playlist or audiobook that you listen to on the drive to/from school can help you solidify a routine. Something that will allow your brain to not be so stressed throughout the day.

2. Communication is key - When it comes to children, if you as a parent have changes in plans you should communicate that to your child as soon as possible. A child can become very stressed and anxious if they are unsure of how they’re getting home or where they are going. If they are caught up in the mix of complicated changes, it ends up being very difficult to focus on their learning.

3. Connect through questions - Go ahead and try connecting with your child through questions such as how their day went, who they sat next to at lunch, if anything funny or exciting happened throughout the day. You can even chime in with your own experiences when you were going to school and what caused you a lot of stress and anxiety. With that, you can end up asking them if there is anything that may be causing them a bit of anxiety with school.

4. Listen - Our natural tendency when we hear that someone is stressed is to try and fix it. However, when we go ahead and try to do that, we end up invalidating the other person's feelings and in turn not really helping them at all. Instead of trying to fix whatever it is that has them stressed. Try asking questions such as “How can I support you right now” or “Would you like to talk about what’s currently bothering you?” Once you listen to them, if you have a thought that you feel may be helpful, go ahead and ask them if it’s okay for you to share it.

As we all transition back to school, remember to take care of yourself too. The best support a child can have is an adult who is taking care of their own well being and mental health too!

Our Therapists Share How to Revamp Your Routines

Why are routines hard to start and hard to keep up with? They can be tedious but we know that once you are able to hone in on specific goals, routines will be an integral part of maintaining these goals.

Routines are helpful in giving us a feeling of control over our lives, even when it may seem like control is the last thing you have. Routines can also be helpful in coping with change, forming healthy habits, and reducing stress levels. 

Morning routines can be a great way to get your day started on the right track. Sometimes, getting out of bed is a struggle and it’s important to understand that you should not feel bad for skipping a morning routine. Though, having a routine may make those days a little easier. So, we can almost look at this like preparation for difficult days or weeks, while also setting us up for success on our good days.

It is also important to note that everyone’s lives are different and therefore the recommendations that I may have for a good morning routine may not fit into your life. It is up to you to determine the best way to start your day because consistency is the real key. 

The best step, in my opinion, for a successful morning routine is to simply let light in. This alone will increase those feelings of wakefulness, making the rest of this routine a little easier. After we let the light in, it is proven to be helpful to make your bed. By completing a task, first think in the morning, you can increase your own self-confidence and may be more inclined to complete the rest of your daily tasks.

Drink water and eat breakfast! Dehydration and lack of nutrients can decrease your daily cognitive functions, so don’t forget that banana! Starting your day with a meal can also boost your metabolism to help you with any meal routines you may set for yourself throughout the rest of your day.

Lastly, before you leave the house, it may be helpful to set 5 minutes aside to either meditate, set your daily intentions, stretch your body, or write down your daily goals. Beginning your day with just 5 minutes of focusing ONLY on yourself will pay off, in terms of your mental health, in finding your center and creating stability in your day. If your day seems to be straying from your comfort zone, you can fall back on those 5 minutes and refocus your day. 

Night routines can be just as important as morning routines. Shower, focus on your skincare or haircare, eat dinner, and refocus your intentions for the day to come by taking 5 more minutes, just for you. Just like a morning routine can set you up for the rest of the day, a night time routine can help to wipe the slate clean for the day to come. It can give you an opportunity to thank yourself for making it through one more day. 

As we finish up our nightly routine, lie your head down to go to sleep, remind yourself that tomorrow is a new day and you can conquer anything you put your mind to. 

Go out and conquer your day!

Our Therapists Share How to Spring Clean Your Self-Care Routine

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “spring cleaning”? Do you envision the dirt and dust that has accumulated throughout the year around your living space or do you imagine a pile of material objects that you are able to toss or donate? It seems that we, as human beings, tend to follow this mindset that if we clean up our external world then our internal world will fall into place. But what if we were to “spring clean” from the inside out? If we were to make a conscious choice to take care of our internal dirt and dust, then our external world may seem less overwhelming when it comes time to renew and clean during the Spring season.

You may be wondering how you begin to inwardly spruce up. It can start by beginning to understand your need for self-care and establishing a routine that works for you. Self-care is ways that you take care of yourself emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. It is about connecting with your body and mind and asking for what you need. Asking for what you need can be difficult if you are used too often caring for others before caring for yourself. I am going to ask that you read the steps below for establishing a self-care routine and TRY. All you can do is try and begin to practice caring for yourself. Self-care can be a stumbling point for me, especially as a new counselor in the field, so I will work hard to practice these steps right along with you.

Steps to Creating A Self Care Routine

1. Sleep When You Are Tired: This one may seem obvious but in today’s fast-paced world, it can difficult to find time to rest your body and sleep. This step is not saying that you need to give things up to sleep but to determine how to get the best amount of sleep for your body and lifestyle. Sleeping is so important to be able to recharge physically, emotionally and mentally.

2. Eat Until You Are Satisfied: After overindulging, have you ever felt sluggish, sick and just generally zapped? I know I have. This step challenges you to recognize the sign your body is giving you when you have reached a point of satisfaction while eating without feeling overly full. Eating to feel satisfied can leave you feeling less like taking a nap and more like taking on the day in between meals.

3. Find Time for Yourself: Finding time for yourself can be just five minutes throughout the day to practice your deep breathing, dance to your favorite song in your living room or listen to a song that brings you joy. It can be anything really as long as it is something that is meaningful to you and gives you space to channel your own energy.

4. Allow Yourself to Feel Your Feelings: This is so challenging but one of the most important parts of caring for yourself. This includes even those negative feelings that can be uncomfortable to feel. It may seem like you are being selfish for saying no to that person’s request, not wanting to be another person’s friend or letting someone know that they may have made you angry, but it is not selfish. Self-confidence comes with beginning to know all emotions are acceptable. Learning to recognize and express how you are truly feeling helps to make you more whole for YOU and everyone else.

5. Be Present: We hear this a lot in today’s fast-paced world but how many times do we truly take time to practice this? This includes unplugging from work responsibilities, phones, computers, tablets, etc. and just being there to experience your life. Maybe you take a walk and notice the colors of the foliage around you or you tune into what your dinner partner/partners are saying without any external distractions. You can even take a moment while at work or home to just recognize the colors around you. Whatever it might be, being present for a moment and not thinking about the mistake you made yesterday or the project you have due tomorrow begins to teach you how to connect with
your life.

All of the above is a guide for how to start asking for what you need. You can add to this list or pick out the most important steps for you and begin incorporating them into your life at your pace. However, you decide to begin, start small and give yourself grace along the way. Dusting and sweeping each area of your life takes time.