By the end of last year, I was exhausted, burnt out, and nearly begging for a break. I was overwhelmed and overworked. Summer was a wonderful breath of fresh air, but now that the school year is starting back I wanted to set myself up for success. The last thing I wanted was another school year of endless nights and moping mornings.
With the school year approaching fast, I decided to take an extra week off of my summer job to get ready for the year ahead of me. Since this is my senior year ( yay! ) During the week to two weeks before school, I did everything I could to prepare for the school year.
The first thing I did was take a break. This was beyond important for me. It was so nice to take a few days off to go to the pool, read a book, work out, and just relax. When the school year starts, often self-care can take a back burner. I wanted to make sure that before I threw myself into my to-do list I had given myself a second to breathe.
“Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” -Audre Lorde
After taking a few days for myself, I made a list of everything I would like to get done before school started. Now, I would be lying if I said I got everything on that list done, but making the list helped me to organize my thoughts and better plan for the time I had before classes began.
Slowly but surely I started tackling things on my list. One by one I started checking off what I wanted/needed to do. It was so beneficial to be able to get ready for the school year in a way that wasn’t too overwhelming but still allowed me to be productive.
The last thing I did before school began was I created a calendar with my weekly classes, events, etc. It not only helps me stay organized but it gives me a better idea of what all the school year has in store for me. I’ve been able to visually see how a standard week during school will look.
Overall the most important thing you can do is be kind to yourself. Sometimes you have to take days off, wait until tomorrow to complete a task, or even start the school year with a few more things to complete. No matter how you prepare for the school year, the best thing to do is stay organized and take it one day at a time. You’ve got this!