Self Help Book

Back to School

So back to school time is here for a lot of people in the world, so with my own head filling with dread and anxiety, I decided to make a chapter on school time problems. This chapter is about dealing with stress, anxiety, and pressure that a lot of people feel when attending school. I'll also be doing a chapter on bullying for anyone who may need it.

Back to School Tip 1.) If you have a teacher that gives ungodly amounts of homework each night, you can try starting up a group chat with your class. If you're in a class that cooperates well or if you have a small circle of friends within that class, you can try to start up a group chat with them to ease the work load. 

Ex: If your teacher assigns your class to finish four pages of the packet for the next day and you have three other friends, each one of you can do a page and then swap answers in the group chat. That way you each only have to do one page of the packet and you still get the wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

If you're a bit shy and don't get along with people in your class, this method may not work, unfortunately.

Back to School Tip 2.) Get resources. If you struggle in certain subjects and either have a lousy teacher who doesn't help or you have social anxiety, getting apps or having access to certain websites will get you on your way to passing the class. 

Ex: If you want more practice in, let's say, French class, but you don't feel like asking your teacher for help, you can use an app like Duolingo to get some more practice in with the language.

(I'm also going to make a chapter with app suggestions for various subjects as part of this "Back to School" chapter series I'm doing :D )

Back to School Tip 3.) Avoid drama. This may be a bit difficult if your friends are always the center of attention or if people like to pick fights with you, but focusing on yourself and your studies is the way to go. Of course it's important to maintain relationships, but it's best to try to steer clear of becoming apart of any unnecessary drama when you can. 

Back to School Tip 4.) Have allies. It's good to have a circle of people you trust when attending school. Whether it be helpful teachers or your best friends, you should always have someone to rely on and someone that you can trust when attending school. Keeping yourself isolated from everyone else isn't the way to go. Join clubs! Talk to that nice girl from Chemistry! Be respectful to your teachers and staff! Simple things like this will get people to either become your friend or help you earn a nice reputation. Meaning: don't sass teachers for no reason, don't hang out with people who are constantly starting drama and fights, and just surround yourself with people who make you happy and who you can trust. 

Back to School Tip 5.) Don't give in to peer pressure. If everyone at your school has juuls or glorifies loosing your virginity, do not feel compelled to fit in. You are your own person with your own thoughts and opinions. If you don't want to smoke and know it's bad for your health, then don't do it because everyone else is. You're most likely never going to see the kids at your school again after graduation, so why should their opinions affect you? You don't need to have sex with your partner because you feel you have to, you don't need to smoke because everyone else does, and you don't have to fit in with the crowd when you know the crowd is promoting things you're uncomfortable with. Please don't do things you don't want to do. Stand up for yourself and go to school to learn and to better yourself as a person. 

Back to School Tip 6.) Practice self care! I say this in probably every chapter of this book, but I cannot express how important this is! Eat something energizing and healthy for breakfast before school. Carry around hand sanitizers and tissues. Don't pull an all-nighter in order to study for a test the next day. Take naps. Vent to your friends.

Back to School Tip 7.) Set up study schedules. Sometimes we can't fit all of the things we need to do in one school day, so by using a planner or starting up a study schedule, you can become more organized and prepared.

Ex: Maybe when you wake up for school in the morning, you can review your vocabulary words while eating cereal. Start easy homework on the bus ride home. When you get home, immediately start your homework or studying before you play your video game or scroll through Instagram. 

Back to School Tip 8.) Stay involved and healthy! You may find school boring because you don't do anything while you're there. Join a club or try out for a sport you find interesting. Join chorus or take crafts class the next semester. Give yourself something to look forward to at school. 

Ex: (This is what I do because I get bored so easily) Maybe the next day pizza is being served at lunch. Hype up your day by reminding yourself that pizza is being served at lunch. Remind yourself that there's a quiz next period and look forward to hearing the class clown's funny complaints and distressed noises during the duration of the quiz. 

By giving yourself little things to be excited for, the day goes by quicker and you feel yourself enjoying your classes a little more than usual.

For being healthy, I don't mean carrying around a protein shake and requesting that the class does intense cardio for PE. I mean eat breakfast and don't only eat junk food for lunch. Use PE as a time to stretch your legs. Join a school sport. Ya know, those kinds of things.

Back to School Tip 9.) If you're anxious, try sitting more to the side of the classroom to the back if you feel nervous around people. Maybe talk to a teacher before class starts and explain to them in either a verbal or nonverbal way, that you have anxiety or that you'd prefer to sit with less people around you. I've done this countless times and many teachers are understanding and tell me that I can sit in the back and that they won't call on me as long as it doesn't become an issue with my grades.

Back to School Tip 10.) Ask for help! This is such a simple thing to do that many people never want to do! It takes a few minutes to go up to your teacher and ask for an explanation on something. I'm telling you now: Nobody in your class cares that you don't understand how to find the area of a triangle. Heck, a lot of other people probably don't understand either! Be that person who gets what they need and passes their classes. You can always email your teachers if you're having homework troubles or if you're too afraid to talk to them in person. 

Back to School Tip 11.) Don't let other people's opinions affect you. If you like to wear red lipstick and leather jackets, then don't let anyone tell you that you can't. (unless it's against dress code haha) If you aren't as skinny as all of the other cheerleaders on the squad, don't let anyone tell you that you're not pretty or that the other squad members are better than you. If you're on the football team and you're taking art classes, don't listen to anyone who gives you crap for that. Take the criticism and turn it into motivation and determination to better yourself and build confidence. Do what you love and inspire others to do the same.

There's so many more tips I could probably give, but I don't want to make this chapter too long. School is hard. No doubt about it. But by using these tips and doing what you know is right, you can make school less stressful and more enjoyable. You're beautiful and I wish you the best. My inbox is always open if you ever need to talk or if you want to give suggestions for future chapters. If you have any other tips I didn't mention, you can definitely leave a comment so others will benefit from it. Have a wonderful day and a wonderful school year!