back to school

After months of doing studying online due to Lockdown. The thought of returning to education which isn’t on a screen may feel a little daunting. Here are some of my top tips on how to make this transitioning a little bit smoother .

A New Routine

Many students all over the country will have to start doing COVID tests in school and colleges. As someone with anxiety I know that timetable changes to my day can set me off to feel extremely anxious and I may have panic attacks. To help you overcome this you could maybe write out your time table in a more visual way using lots of different colours and pictures. Or you could have a little notebook full of little affirmations you can look at whilst your waiting to do your test. Many schools and colleges have created videos to show students what the new process will be like. If they haven’t shown you don’t be afraid to ask your teacher as they may have other resources available for you to you which you might find useful.

Eating Breakfast

This next tip might seem a bit silly but when you get up ready for the day make sure you have breakfast this could be some toast, a fruit smoothie or some cereal. If your stuck on what to have I recommend looking at Pinterest they have some really yummy, healthy, breakfast ideas to help kick start your day.

Did you know:

1. Eating breakfast can help you with your memory for the day and your attention span will be a lot better compared to days we’re you don’t have breakfast

2. Eating breakfast can help you have a more positive outlook on your day.

3. People who eat breakfast regularly are less likely to become obese. Their is still a lot of research going into why this may be. One idea is that eating breakfast helps to prevent large fluctuations in your blood glucose levels, helping you control your appetite.

Things To Have In Your Bag

Recently I was talking to one of my friends about returning to education and how they felt about it. They were feeling very worried and scared because their OCD has worsened through the pandemic and they are becoming more and more scared to touch anything or go out.

To help with returning to education they suggested always make sure you have a little bottle of hand sanitiser with you. As well as this they also have stress balls and fidget spinners with them to help them to control intrusive thoughts.

Talk, Talk,Talk

Another tip I have that may seem obvious is talk to someone. You never know you could be helping them too. They might feel the same and it’s nice to feel your not alone. You could speak to a family member, friend, teacher anymore who makes you feel safe.

Be Kind To Yourself

My final tip is remember to be kind to yourself. The transitioning from working from home on our screens to being back having to get ready to the day ahead , catching the bus so your not late for school. Our whole routine is changing. Make sure you do little things just for yourself and give yourself the attention you give to others. This could be watching your favourite TV show, reading a book, having a nice bubble bath. Give yourself breaks enjoy the outside. You could sit in the garden or go on a short walk with your dog. Ground yourself be in the moment. It doesn’t matter what you’re meant to do or shouldn’t have done. Just enjoy the here and now nothing else matters.

I hope some of this helped and I wish you all the very best of luck with going back to school. Sending all positive vibes. If you need any more support I have listed a couple of websites that you may find helpful.

Youn Minds: https://youngminds.org.uk

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

Headroom: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/YfRzhXDKSZQxFVn30TlXBj/your-mental-health-toolkit

Bryony 💜

It’s that time of year again. September has arrived which only means one thing it’s the new academic year. You might be going into a new year at school or starting college or even going to university.

Even though I am 22 now I am starting my Level 3 Course in Performing Arts this year at college. Through the years of being in education I have developed my own top tips on how I like to get ready for the new academic year and I thought what better way to share them with you by writing a blog post all about it.

Cleaning out the junk and starting fresh

1. So my first tip is to have a clean out of any old work you may still have but don’t actually need. You may have a desk you use to work and the draw is just filled with rubbish. When sorting out my draw I like to create piles of things I need to keep, things I want to keep and things I can throw out. For example you may have a maths book you’ve finished but you want to keep it because it maybe handy for maths revision if you are doing maths again. Where as you don’t need to keep pens that don’t work anymore.

2. Next I like to go onto my laptop and get rid of anything I don’t need anymore related to my education. For example you may have folders you have created and your not doing that topic anymore and you won’t find those notes useful so it can go. Helping you to clear your mind and organise yourself for work that is now the new important.

3. Another thing I like to do is change my computer background at the start of every academic year. I enjoy going onto Pinterest and finding quotes that speak to me and will help me to stay motivated. Sometimes I’ll just have one quote and other times I like to make a collage of quotes for me to see.

4. To help me get to my most important and most used websites I use for college work I create bookmarks. I then like to go through my bookmarks to see if I need to add any new ones and also to get rid of ones I don’t need to make my web searching more efficient.

5.Lastly I like to go through my college email and get rid of all my emails from the following year so that I can start a fresh.

New Year Equals Haul Time

I don’t know about you but one of the things I love about a new academic year is getting a new bag and stationary.

1. I like to go through my pencil case and chuck out any pens and pencils that don’t work anymore. This helps me a lot later when I am working and taking notes quickly in class as I know all the pens in my pencil case work.

2. I really enjoy writing in different coloured pens and colour coding my work as well as making it nice to look at when reading. If you like doing this to I recommend getting yourself a pack of gel pens. You can buy gel pens for cheap prices at shops such as The Works and on Amazon.

3. If you are struggling to find a new bag that is still really cute and pretty but not to expensive I recommend buying a bag from Primark. I used to love going to Primark to find a new school bag. If you want to spend a bit more on a bag I highly recommend checking out TK Maxx.

4. If I’m in need of a new notebook that is really cute I love to checkout notebooks from Paperchase.

Goals, Goals, Goals

Like at the beginning of the new year we like making new year resolutions. I like to create my own education goals at the beginning of every academic year. It doesn’t matter how big or small they are. I just like doing them to help me see later on in the year how far I have come.

For example your goals could be:

1. To try a new dish you can buy from the cafeteria

2. To sit next to someone in your class you don’t know/ don’t know very well

3. To organise myself more so that I am not so late to class

4. To make sure I hand in my work on the given deadline

5. Set an alarm on my phone for when I need to get up so I’m not rushing and stressing about missing the bus

Create A New Routine

So with everything that’s been going on recently our daily routines have changed massively. To help me create and get into my new routine here are some things I do that you might feel helpful

1. I like to get myself a big whiteboard and section it into seven days. I then like to write the day of the week at the top. With the place and time I need to be somewhere. I like having this whiteboard on my bedroom wall because when I wake up I can clearly see what I’ve got planned for the day.

2. I also like to get myself a new diary that I can carry in with me in my bag. I find this useful as I can write down when things like assessments need to be done by, or when a trip is or if I need to come in an extra day for rehearsals. I also like to colour code my notes so that it is easy to understand if I am running late.

3. Before I leave the house every morning it is really important that I am awake and energised for the day ahead as I am an Performing Arts Student. This means I need to have breakfast before I leave. I will be doing a quick breakfast idea blog post soon.

4. It’s really important that you create some down time for yourself. Self care is just as important as doing coursework or revising for a test. You could watch some TV when you get back home or maybe you want to tryout a face mask you brought from Boots. You could go on a short walk to help your head from spinning with all the stuff you’ve had to do that day.

I will be doing a self care ideas blog post soon. So make sure you are following me so that you don’t miss it.

I hope some of these ideas helped you. Please let me know what other things you do to help get yourself ready for the new academic year.