Back to School Ideas & How to DeStress from Anxiety

Anxiety strikes every year at the beginning of school. From kids to adults, it seems like everybody is starting school and the stress is sooo high!! Are you feeling overwhelmed this school year? So, what do we do to help with all this stress in our life?

Ideas to Manage Anxiety for Back to School

Anxiety strikes when we least expect it. We think we are doing ok and then, wham, our thought are racing, our heart is pounding, and we are frozen.

This week has been most one of the most amazing and beautiful adventures for me. At the same time, it’s been one of the scariest journeys I’ve ever been on. The more I focus on the overwhelm, the more the anxiety grows.

I’m drawing from my life experiences, my graduate school education, wisdom from those that I have seen succeed, and wisdom from those that I have seen fail. This is not counseling or therapy in any form.

So, how do we manage this anxiety?

Here are a few ideas that can be helpful during back to school when fighting anxiety.

Kid’s Stress Back to School

school desk and stress with encouraging notes

Did
you know that almost 50% of America’s youth are worried about doing well
in school?

Our youth are feeling way too much pressure on them these
days. As caring adults, we can make a
difference and stop the early burnout that they’re facing by high school graduation!!

Pressure to Perform

Do you remember the stress you felt as kid and as a
teenager? Many times, we adults put too
much pressure on kids to succeed at academics, sports, lessons, leadership,
community service, competitions, social engagements, group activities, and
family activities.

The pressure to perform in our culture is so high that we don’t even feel like we can relax, because then we feel like we are being lazy.

The pressure to be perfect, make a 4.0, get into a great
college, graduate with a great degree… it’s a lot of pressure!!

This pressure causes a lot of stress on our kids!!

Anxiety and depression is sky rocketing for our youth,
suicide rates is higher than ever for our youth!

See a problem??

Kids Feel A Lot of Pressure

Here are stats that you need to know, from APA about kids feeling a lot of pressure.

61% of teens feel a lot of pressure to get good grades
29% of teens feel pressure to look good

28% of teens feel pressure to fit in socially
6% of teens feel pressure to drink alcohol

What can be done??

Let’s remember that our kids are our kids, they are not adults and should not be held to adult level responsibility and consequences. I’m all for raising responsible and contributing young adults in our society, but not when the responsibility and consequences are for beyond their development.

I’m for raising kids to enjoy their childhood and follow their dreams.

Appreciating our kids for who they are is way more important than what kind of grades they get or if they will get into a great college.

Let’s encourage each other and our kids with sweet, encouraging notes.

A hiker with a backpack on is walking up steps up a grassy hill with a wooden fence alongside, quote beside hiker saying "You can do it!"

Encouraging Notes

Giving encouragement to your children will help them throughout the day and night. You can brighten their day before school, send lunch notes to remind them how much you love them during a stressful day, and during the evening supper or before bed give them hugs and compassion.

Encouraging our kids help them know they are in a loving home, build relationship skills to have their own family one day, and grow in compassion and confidence in a loving environment.

Want encouraging notes to give to your children and family?

free printables of encouraging notes and de-stress from anxiety

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Support for Adults During Back to School

Now
that your kids are okay, you can focus on your support to make it!

I
feel like so many of my friends and those that I know are dealing with so much
stress in their lives that even the daily functioning and living can be
difficult to do at times.

Being
there for each other during times of stress helps all of us actually go from
surviving to thriving. When my friends
are actually there for me, it’s amazing how much quicker I bounce back.

My experience has taught me that when I can be there for my friends, the same thing happens, they are able to bounce back so much better, too.

Investing in Relationships

Do
you have that friend who you can count on to help you talk through tough times? If not, invest in a good friend and be there
for them. The chances are high that they
will in turn be there for you when you really need it most.

Realizing that I have friends and family who love me and support me makes the biggest difference during this time of struggle.

My support systems and my social connections are some of the most important things that get me through the day to day and struggles in life.

I
love my family and my tribe. Without them, I would be a lost soul. This
includes love for my God who gives me the light and the hope to continue during
dark times.

lady smiling at clean organized hoe office with desk

Organization Helps Back to School

So, the other day, I had a ton of things to get done but I had such a hard time concentrating because my home office was such a mess.

Now, the truth is it’s been a mess for awhile and I’ve been avoiding organizing it. That meant the mess was now getting in the way of my productivity and overwhelming me further.

Every
year, right before the fall, when I can make the time to organize the study
area and the command center… the whole year flows better.

This year, I gave myself permission to start with cleaning for 15 minutes. If I chose to continue, that was okay, but I could also choose to stop and be proud I had at least cleaned one stack of papers.

For more help on organization, here’s some helpful tips on de-cluttering and organizing.

COMMAND CENTER

My
goal every school year is to get a good command center organized.

So,
what does a command center need? How about
the must have’s for the command center could include…

calendar
key hooks
mail organizer

paper organizer
pen and paper
notes on bulletin board or white board

shoes bin
jackets hanger
umbrella holder

Quotes for De-stressing Anxiety & Back to School

I hope this helps and I hope you are feeling better knowing how to help your kids and yourself start this school year off on a better foot.

When
you’re feeling overwhelmed, here’s some motivational quotes to help you get
through the day.

Check out my PINTEREST

Over 1500+ Motivational and Inspirational Quotes!

Free Downloads for Back to School

Here’s some free download links from my friends that can help you during this time of the year when school is overwhelming and the routine and the schedules have gotten crazy.