All the hype of the holiday season has now come to an end. Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Schools have been back to class for the last few days. But, it can be tough having to get back into the same old routine again after two weeks of festivities.
Here are some tips to help make the transition a little easier:
1. Set some goals for the year or even just the semester. A good way to get motivated for the new semester or quarter could be thinking about the things you’d like to achieve. These might be school-related goals, like getting good grades in certain classes, or personal goals, like joining a club or volunteering. Check out the Putting your goals into action fact sheet for more information. Get involved! A good way to get back into things at school and possibly make new friends is to become involved in activities or clubs. You may have been overwhelmed during your first semester or first year, or may not have been interesting in joining a club or other activity (like Youth Council or Shout Out!). Even if you have already made friends on your own, this could be a great time to meet some new people who share common interests with you. You might want to try a sports league, debate team, volunteer activity or student council.
Reach out to new people
2. Reach Out and Make New Friends- Don’t stick to stereotypes. It’s often easy to identify different groups at your school: common stereotypes are jocks, hipsters or geeks, for example. However, interacting with anyone (no matter what group they hang out with usually or what stereotype you think they fit into) can help you expand your circle of friends and become more open-minded.
3. Express yourself- Release some of the tension you’re feeling by expressing yourself. There are a number of ways that you can do this, including exercising, writing in a journal, or doing another activity that you enjoy. Check out the Express yourself fact sheet for more ideas. Have something to look forward to. Sometimes it can be helpful to plan ahead so that you have something to look forward to. It can change your mindset completely. You may want to plan to catch up with friends after school or do something special over the weekend. And there’s always next break to look forward to!
This article was borrowed from: http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/going-back-to-school-after-break. ReachOut is run by the Inspire USA Foundation. Inspire’s mission is to help millions of young people lead happier lives. To meet the Inspire team and learn more about what they do go here.
