Want to take your back to school anxiety from a ten to a two?
Spend time with the people at school who light you up!
Teachers – favorite colleagues, beloved students.
Students – favorite classmates, favorite teachers.
I witnessed it all weekend at my Rockford Aces retreat, and I witnessed it again at high school orientation today. The chance hallway conversations, the smiling faces getting ready for their school pictures, the attire fittings in the choir room: these moments helped so many students feel ready for school.
I’ve been guilty as a parent of thinking that the orientation was about meeting teachers, getting supply lists, learning your locker combination. You can do those things, too, but the real magic is giving your anxiety a break with the dopamine hit of seeing the people who remind you why you like school in the first place.