How to Cope With Back to School Stress

Whether you are headed school this fall or getting your children ready for the back to school rush, you are probably facing a considerable amount of stress. From finding school supplies to arranging transportation, it is all to easy to become overwhelmed by a seemingly endless list of demands.

According to a 2006 survey by the American Psychological Association, nearly half of Americans worry about their stress levels. As you may already know, stress has a wide variety of negative effects ranging from a short-term impact on behavior to long-term health problems.

"Returning to work after a vacation, transitioning your children to a new school, even fighting a busier rush hour as schools reopen, can all contribute to an increased stress level," explains psychologist Dr. Ron Palomares in an article by the APA Help Center. "People who cope with stress in unhealthy ways may alleviate symptoms of stress in the short term, but end up creating significant personal health problems over time, and, ironically, more stress. My advice is to become aware of events that are likely to increase your stress levels and take steps to actively manage your stress and promote healthy coping behaviors in your children.

black-rose-bielefeld.de's Guide to Stress Management, Elizabeth Scott, M.S., recommends reducing your stress levels by starting your back to school planning early. Get your school supplies in order, plan your schedule and establish a regular sleep schedule before the first day of classes.

Need more great tips for reducing your back to school stress?

1. Learn how to manage your time wisely. With a little careful planning, you can reduce or eliminate a great deal of stress.
   
2. Focus on organization. There are plenty of cheap and easy organization tools available that will help you remember deadlines, track assignments and plan your schedule.
   
3. Understand your learning style. In order to establish the best study habits, it's important to know how you learn most effectively.
   
4. Brush up on your study skills. Start the term out on the right foot by working on your study habits, test-taking skills and writing strategies. Each course brings with it a unique set of challenges, but making a few simple tweaks to your normal academic habits can dramatically improve your grades and information retention.
   
5. Work on learning more efficiently. Improving your study habits is great, but what if there was a way to improve your ability to retain and recall information? Fortunately, there are some great tips you can use to dramatically improve your learning efficiency and effectiveness.

Further Reading:

• How to Relieve Back to School Stress and Anxiety
• How to Deal With Test Anxiety
• Stress Relievers for Students

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_{Reference: APA Help Center, http://apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=158}