The summer holidays are over and its time to go back to school. A million children sigh as the inevitable becomes tomorrow. No more staying up late and getting up late. No more relaxed days under the warm sun and certainly no more hose pipes, shorts and tee-shirts.
The young children are getting stressed over facing the unknown starting school for the first time, the older kids are wary of returning to the guarded friendships and bullying of the playground, while teenagers dread the regimented world where they have to buckle down to work and get the A grades.
Then there is the parent’s to think about. No more late nights with early starts and no more lazy breakfasts and easy routines. There are uniforms to buy, wash and iron. New stationary, new bags, new shoes and new sports kit to get.
The school run is a nightmare for every parent across the nation. Deciding who takes the kids is enough to initiate divorce proceedings. The change of routine can be as stressful to the parents as for the children. More often then not the stress of the starting school brings out the anger in all the family, and soon the adults are acting like children and the whole house is in uproar.
‘It’s entirely normal to feel a degree of stress as the start of school approaches.’ experts would say.
What can you do about it?
There are always tools and methods to help you through any kind of stressful situation. Mike Fisher from the British Association of Anger Management (BAAM) is an expert in stress and anger and knows better than anyone how to deal with your stress in these times of need. Rule 1 of his Eight Golden Rules of Anger Management is to ‘Back off, stop, think, take a look at the big picture.
“Will it matter in five minutes’ he’d ask, and then Will it matter in five years?”
Perhaps it won’t and we are stressing over nothing?
Relax, everything is under control and the start of the new school year is guaranteed to be a success because you are prepared for the new challenge ahead.
Here are three tips to help you:
- Now is the time to talk to the family and listen to their feelings. You may notice your kids suddenly feeling very ill and predicting they may have a sudden illness on the day they are due back at school. You may even find the bed wetting, which you have thought had stopped two months ago, come back. Strike up the conversation of how they feel about going back to school but don’t pressure the kids in answering. Only by knowing what the problem is can you find the solution.
- Guide the kids back into a routine. While it is inevitable that a new regime starts as the school bell rings, it’s always a good idea to guide the kids back into a routine gently. Why not try a dummy run where you travel the route to school, be it by foot or bus. A rehearsal can be a fun way to prepare the kids to the routine for the next six weeks, five days a week, twice a day.
- Back to school means back to rules. No more ear rings in PE, no more smart phones and no more jeans. With a brand new start to the year comes a brand new set of rules. A stress free parent would have checked well ahead. When does school start, what’s the correct dress code and when do we pick them up? Checking ahead ensures no mistakes.
Going back to school doesn’t have to be the stressful nightmare you imagine it to be.
Mike Fisher is the founder of the British Association of Anger Management and has helped people from all walks of life address their anger and stress issues.
If you are in need of some help for your anger call Mike on 0345 1300 286 or send an email. If you find that your anger is costing you too much in terms of your family, career and health, then perhaps it’s time you examine it by booking onto one of his programmes. Mike will be happy to hear from you so go ahead. Give him a call and change your life forever.
