What to Do with the Back to School Blues

August and September are often two of the craziest, busiest months, aren’t they? 

Whether you or your kids are heading back to the classroom, or you've not been near a campus in years, so much of your annual timeline probably still goes along with the school year.

Schedules and projects ramp up at the office as coworkers take fewer vacations. You're now back to dropping off and picking up the kids from practice. Maybe your own book clubs, bible studies, or recreational classes are starting back up, too!

Whatever your weekly schedule holds, I'm sure you can feel the year speeding up as classes start, autumn is on its way (Yay! Anyone else over this heat wave?), and the holiday season is just around the corner.

So, how do we prepare ourselves to handle the busyness of this season?

There are a lot of things you can do to support yourself through hectic seasons and full schedules. I shared these three simple practices in one of my newsletters last year, and I think they're worth sharing again here: 

Prayer

In addition to being our lifeline to talking with God, prayer is also a great way to process your thoughts and feelings with God. It can be helpful to pray over or with your kids, as they might be facing back-to-school anxiety or feeling nervous about a project or making friends. Our kids watch what we do, and they need to know that we, too, depend on God for our everyday concerns.

Prayer doesn’t have to look like devoting an entire hour to solitude in the morning. It can be as simple as praying aloud while you pack lunches, go for a walk, or drive to school or work. It could even be creating a breath prayer, or showing your child how to create breath prayers to use throughout the day. Praying is something we can do anytime and anywhere.

community

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but the village is there to support and love you, too. Something we often lose as adults, and especially once our children reach school age, is our own community and friends. It seems like a natural process as you make time for your child’s school, extracurricular activities, and play dates. But, you need community, too. 

If your schedule allows, find time to meet with a friend or mentor once a week, once a month, or even just once a quarter. The more often you make room for this time in your schedule, the easier it will be to find time for it. 

Maybe you don’t have any nearby friends, and texting or finding time for a phone or video call feels impossible. Try sending voice messages to a friend. You can even send video messages on apps like Marco Polo, and watch and respond to them as you have the time—maybe while folding laundry, running errands, or taking your lunch break at work.

Perhaps you’ve found that you don’t have any community in this current season. That can be so hard. This is where I’d recommend looking for a Bible study at your church, or you can ask an acquaintance to grab coffee or a meal together. If you have time in your schedule, join a book club, exercise group, or even find somewhere to volunteer. You might find a friend in the unlikeliest of places.

self care

You might be thinking, “Self care who? I don’t have time or the budget for that.” I’d argue most of us have time for even a small act of self care each week. Self care doesn’t have to look like a massage or a trip to the spa or salon. (Although I do recommend trying to do something like that every now and then.)

Caring for yourself can look like doing a few stretches in bed first thing in the morning. Maybe it looks like painting your nails at home. It might look like taking 15 minutes to read your new book, getting your nails done, or, if you have a larger block of time, even getting away for the weekend.

While you can’t stop stressful seasons or situations from happening, you can change how you handle them, including this fall as your children go back to school. (And maybe you, too, if you’re a homeschool parent or are going back to school yourself!) When you have helpful and healthy habits in place, it becomes easier to face the hard moments—yes, even when your kid forgets to tell you about the project that’s due tomorrow.

Busyness doesn't have to be stressful. You can make small pockets for resting and recharging that support you and the life you want to live.