4 Tips for Dealing with Back-to-School Anxiety

Especially with returning to school during a pandemic, it's no surprise that many of us will be experiencing some anxiety during this time. I've assembled some ideas on how to handle these anxious feelings.

1. Make plans with friends!

Going back to school can be rough because it's a lot of new stuff all at once. Making time to catch up with some familiar faces can be therapeutic, and remind you that all of us are getting ready for the new classes, new professors, and new safety protocols.

2. Get excited for the fun stuff!

I love going back to school shopping. I love feeling like there's a fresh start to be organized, take pretty notes, and get new planner stickers! I usually try to interrupt any anxious thoughts I'm having with thinking about stuff that I'm excited about. Luckily I'm pretty excitable to it usually works.

3. Make sure you're prepared!

This is a tricky one. Obviously it's hard to be totally prepared when there are a lot of unanswered questions as to how this school year is going to look, but we can try to prepare for what we do know. Having an accurate and thorough packing list and packing schedule (so you're not packing all in one day) is super important when trying to lower your stress level. Making to-do lists, reading emails to make sure you know what you're doing when you get to campus, and looking over your class schedule are all good ideas too!

4. Give yourself time to adjust!

No matter what we do, our anxiety won't fully go away until we actually get back into the rhythm of school–and that's okay! Your first week or two back on campus will be a little choppy while trying to get used to the new school year, understand that and be patient.

Hope you all found this helpful! Thanks for reading, and good luck this school year!