Guest Author - Shanita Alexander

After a summer of sleeping in and having no real schedule, going back to school can be a rude awakening. Whether you’re an anxious middle schooler or confident senior, heading back to school brings a new set of challenges. Just as you should prepare with the proper backpack, you should also prepare your emotions for returning to school. Like it or not, school is coming. Here are some quick survival tips to help get you prepared.
PACK UP THE NIGHT BEFORE
To help stave off the first day of school frustrations, get organized. Pack your backpack the night before with all necessities including the following: pencils, notebook, lock and combination, school forms, permission slips and class schedules. If you can, tour the school prior to the first day to locate your classes on your schedule. This will help alleviate the stress of getting to classes on time, particularly if you are entering a new school.
PICK OUT YOUR WARDROBE IN ADVANCE
Did you try on eight different outfits before making a selection this morning? The first day of school often brings added pressure to look your best. Find something that makes you feel confident and is comfortable for the first day. If you have your clothes ironed and ready the night before, you can sleep an extra five minutes in the morning. We all know how much teenagers need their sleep!
CALM YOUR EMOTIONAL STRESS AND ANXIETY
One of the most neglected types of preparation is emotional preparation. The first day of school can potentially be the most traumatic day of the entire school year. Teens that had a bad year last year, will associate the return to school with those memories. In addition, if kids are transitioning to a new school, there is a great deal of anxiety and apprehension involved in the start of the school year. Will I be able to locate my classes? Will I fit in with the “popular” crowd? Will I be able to keep up with the added workload? These are all things that you should discuss with your teen as early as a month before school begins. Help them to formulate a successful school transition in their minds, so that they will feel emotionally prepared to start the school year.