Dealing with Back to School Stress

We are quickly approaching the "return to school" ritual, that comes with a lot of mixed feelings and stress for everyone involved. However, there are a few simple ways that can make this transition easier for everyone.

Dealing with the stress of children going back to school, or young children starting their first year can be difficult. During the summer months everyone in the household may have adapted to a laid back, lazy days of summer routine. Going on family vacations, camping trips, and going to the beach, but before you know it, summer is quickly coming to an end and everyone in the house is feeling the stress and anxiety of getting back to the regular grind.

There can be stress factors from various angles; financial stress, psychological and physical stress.

Financial Stress: 
For some Parents, there may be financial stress that comes with getting everyone equipped with new clothing, backpacks, and school supplies. This can be very costly, especially for parents who have multiple children returning for another school year. There is an easy way to lower the stress level on the financial aspect, shop around and take advantage of the many back to school sales. This is the time of year when stores compete for your money. Use it to your advantage!

Psychological Stress:
Parents and preschoolers starting school for the first time often feel separation anxiety, and fear of the unknown, this is completely natural. You may feel the emptiness of not having that child at home anymore in the daytime, or the feeling that your baby is growing up.

There are some simple ways to get through these feelings and put them aside. You may want to find something that your child can take with them to school, perhaps a special keychain clipped onto their backpack or a pin to let them know that you are always with them and thinking of them. When they are missing you, they have this to comfort them. Keep the same style of trinket for yourself. They will feel special knowing that you have the same one.  It will help you both to feel closer, even when you are not together.

You can help yourself get through this period by keeping busy!

Your child will be busy at school surrounded by other kids, so they will be less likely to dwell on these feelings. It is important that you stay busy as well. The less time you spend sitting around thinking about it, the better it will be for you.

Take advantage of your free time!

Parenting can be very busy, now that your children are heading back to school, take time for yourself. This is your opportunity to do some of the things you haven't had the chance to do. Take on a new hobby, catch up on reading, or if you work part-time, perhaps you can increase your hours to full-time. This time is yours for the taking, so the choice is up to you!

Support from other parents

Take comfort in knowing that other parents are going through the same thing. If you need some reassurance, ask other parents how they are feeling. Chances are, they are feeling the same way and they will be there to support you.

The most important thing, don't show your negative feelings to your children. The anxiety and feelings you have about them going to school can cause more anxiety for them especially young children. Show as much enthusiasm and optimism as you can toward their upcoming school year. Point out the positives, such as how they will be making new friends, starting new activities, and joining school teams. This will help them to look forward to returning to school, and help the first year children to ease into their new life.

Physical Stress:

Parents and children may feel physical stress from trying to get into the new groove! Getting up early, making lunches, and driving children to school. There is a never ending list of things that need to be done. Making lunches and laying out clothes the night before can make things easier in the morning. Have your child help pick out something they want to wear the night before, get them to participate in making their lunch for the next day. Establishing a "school night" bedtime, will help cut down on fatigue and help them cope with the next day. Purchase a fun alarm clock, this will help children get up on time. You may want to get together with other parents you know in your area to discuss car pooling, this will free up your schedule and make things less physically stressful.

After a few weeks, the new routine will become natural and everyone will be adapting well. 
 

Balancing Work and Family Life

As a working mother you may feel torn between your job, children and your home life. Some days are overwhelming and stressful, and it feels as though the world is coming down around you. There are some simple ways to keep your life balanced. It involves some careful planning, good time management and the ability to remain focused.

Schedule time for yourself

If you are a morning person, getting up before your children will allow you to have some alone time. There’s nothing better than enjoying your cup of coffee in peace and reading your favourite book before you get ready for a long work day. Take your shower, get dressed and relax before everyone else gets up.

Set out clothes and prepare lunches the night before. Doing this will help reduce the stress level and the feeling of being rushed in the morning trying to get everyone ready and out the door. A few minutes doing this the night before will be a huge help at such a stressful time in the morning.

Keep breakfast simple and save the cooked breakfast for weekends. Purchase some healthy cereal kids love, some fresh fruit,whole grain bread, and fruit juice. There are a number of simple healthy choices available, without having to go through a great deal of work preparing breakfast. With some planning, the children will get all the nutrition they need to start their day. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, you don’t have to be fancy when you are on a tight schedule.

Share the responsibilities with your partner.  For example, Dad can drive “Johnny” to soccer practice while you make dinner, think of the time you will save.  If your Children are older, perhaps they can have a list of chores to do, this will cut down on the things that need to be taken care of, and save you time. These are easy ways to free up a few minutes of your time and allow you to have a little down time.

On your day off, try and plan meals for the week. If you have a big enough freezer, you can prepare meals ahead and freeze them.  Wouldn’t you love to come home after a busy stressful day at work and pull a home cooked meal out of the freezer? Think of the time and frustration you will save yourself, if you do this.

Plan a take-out night, one night a week where no one cooks! Pizza night is great on Friday! Order out and enjoy.

Keeping the spark in your relationship

Make the most of your evenings. If your children are young, it’s a great time to implement a schedule. A bath, read a book and then off to bed before a certain time. This allows you and your partner to have some alone time and gives you a chance to talk about your day. Children also love a constant schedule, knowing what they are going to be doing on a consistent basis makes it less stressful on them as well.

Schedule a “Date night” at least once a month. Book a sitter and go out for an evening together. Whatever it is you enjoy doing, dinner and a movie, take that time together.  This will allow you to have some adult time and give you a chance to enjoy each other, the way it use to be before the children were born. We all need a little time to break away from busy schedules and relax, and “date nights” give you and your partner something to look forward to!

Phone, email or text message your partner throughout your work day. Keep in touch with one another , this way you will maintain an open line of communication and be able to help each other through stressful times.

Balancing finances and spending

Online shopping  can save you time and money, there are plenty of online stores that sell items at greatly reduced prices. This type of shopping is easy since you don’t have to go anywhere, and it can be a lot of fun.

Clip coupons! There are coupons available for just about everything, why not use them! Who doesn’t want to save money? Get an envelope or a folder that you can carry in your purse and start clipping. You’ll be amazed at the amount of money you will save.

Join Points programs from local stores, they may include air miles, points to save for free groceries or products. These programs are great and can save you lots of cash. Most of them are free to join, so why not take advantage of them.

Take a few minutes to review the newspaper flyers and ads on a weekly basis, stores have great weekly deals, keep yourself informed of the sales, especially for groceries. Make a list before you go shopping, and stick to the list if you can, you’ll end up spending more money if you don’t have a list to refer to. You’ll be inclined to impulse buy various items, planning is better and more cost effective.

If you are in the market for a major purchase, before you buy something new, you might want to check out used items as well. There are plenty of classified ads, both in newspapers and online. You never know what you might find, and the money you could save.

Start making a list of your own ideas, things you can do to make your life easier. Talk to your partner about sharing responsibility. The key to balancing work and family is establishing a good schedule that includes some time to relax.

Relaxation is one of the keys to happiness!