5 Tips for Reducing School-Related Stress

As summer winds down, and the calendar turns to September, schools are reopening their doors. While the first few weeks of school are often relatively relaxed, this can be a crucial time for students. The beginning of the year offers students an opportunity to form effective academic habits that will last for the entire school year.

Here are five, simple tips that can help you (or your child) stay on top of schoolwork, while controlling academic-related stress and anxiety. 

Time Management

Take a look at your typical week, and try scheduling in times to do your homework. Write it in your planner, and use the schedule to hold yourself accountable. Do you have free periods during your day when you could chip away at your homework? Are there teachers who always allot class time to begin assignments? Take advantage of potential work time during the school day. High school days are long, and it can be hard for many students to focus on homework after a full 7-hour day at school.

Also, use a planner! I cannot tell you how many students tell me, “I just keep track of everything in my head.” That is not a sustainable recipe for academic success. If school is stressing you out, you’re missing assignments, and you’re not using a planner, you’re doing yourself a major disservice.  Planners are invaluable tools that allow students to track all of their assignments in one place, while allowing them to free up valuable head space! Go to a local bookstore, and find a planner that looks good to you. The small amount of work it takes to use a planner pales in comparison to the hassle of missing assignments, and confused due dates. A planner is a powerful aid that can help you use your time wisely, and plan ahead. 

Organize

Devise an organizational system that will work for you. Do you work better with separate folders for each class, or with one big binder? Where will you put old papers that you know longer need? How will you remember to bring completed assignments to school with you each day? How often will you clean out your backpack?

Identify a system that will work for you, and stick to it. If you struggle with organization, a quick Google search will turn up hundreds of ideas for improved organizational methods. For more suggestions on organization, read here.

Routine

Develop a routine for your school week, and stick to it. Try maintaining a set bed-time, and work to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Identify activities that help reduce stress, and be sure to include those in your weekly plan. Make time for the things you love to do, and spend time with the people who are important to you! Consider your routine the life-vest that will keep you afloat during times of increased schoolwork and academic stress.  Utilize your planner, and schedule time for your go-to self-care activities. 

Control your Phone and Screen-Time Habits

In my experience working with students, phones are the single biggest detractor to timely completion of homework. Ask yourself, what do you do with your phone when you’re working? Do you turn it off? Does it sit on the table next to you? Research shows that our ability to interpret and solve unfamiliar problems is compromised by the physical presence of our phones. I’d highly recommend turning your phone off, and putting it out of eyesight, during homework time.

Do you play video games? If so, does your video game time come before, or after, homework time? Make schoolwork a priority, so you can rest easy at the end of your day, knowing your work is complete.

Understand your Strengths and Weaknesses

Reflect on your own academic past, and work to identify your own strengths and weaknesses. Are you someone who typically gets really tired in the mid-afternoon? If so, that’s probably not a good time to do your homework. Do you always struggle in that one subject? Let your teacher know so they can check-in with you. Find a tutor. Ask a friend or classmate to study with you. Plan ahead!

I work with so many students who buy-in to massive generalizations about their academic ability. For instance, I hear things like, “I’m just not good at organization,” or “planners just aren’t for me,” or “I’m just not an A student.” My response to these statements is that we can’t know our potential until we’ve really prepared as best we can. Many students achieve the same results, because they go about their business the same way, year-after-year. If this is you, be honest with yourself, and try a different approach!

With that in mind, take a few hours (before school gets too hectic) to devise an academic plan for yourself, and to utilize the resources at your disposal. It will be time well spent, and can really help to limit the school-related stress and anxiety that so many of today’s students experience. And, if you’ve taken these steps, and are still finding stress and anxiety overwhelming, consider a few counseling sessions to explore further strategies for coping with your distress.