Back-To-School Anxiety
Back-to-school is a time of year when you need to adapt to many new and unfamiliar things. For some, going back to school can literally be terrifying. But why is it so stressful? Here we explain why and give you some tips to help you manage your stress.
To remember
👉 Back-to-school stress is mainly linked to social interactions (new friends, fear of judgment). It's a normal reaction when facing the unknown.
👉 This stress is temporary: it lessens as a routine establishes itself.
These concerns are often about social situations
It’s the fear of:
not making friends.
not knowing anyone in your new class.
having to socialize with strangers.
realizing that your relationships with your friends has changed over the summer, and that it’s not what it used to be.
being judged for your new cloths or haircut.
how others will view the changes, or lack thereof, in your body.
being bullied all over again.
💡Read our article: 5 tips on making friends.
Stress is your body’s physical response to let you know that something unpleasant, dangerous, or threatening might happen. If social situations make you feel stressed, it’s probably because you want to avoid being judged, rejected, or humiliated by others, and that is perfectly normal!
Although unpleasant when it’s happening, stress will usually go away once the anxiety-inducing situation is over. For example, you’re super stressed the day before school starts but feel better later that evening when things went better than you expected.
And what if things aren’t going so great?
There are times in everyone’s life when you have to ride out the storm, just try your best not to let it get to you too much while it’s happening, and remember a bad day, or even a bad week, doesn’t mean your whole year will be ruined.
Do everything you can not to deal with it on your own! Either confide in someone you trust who will reassure you about the situation passing, or spend time with people who make you feel comfortable.
If you’re being bullied don’t wait to take action, talk to someone you trust at school (a teacher, counsellor, member of staff, etc.) right away so it can stop as soon as possible.
