6 Tips to Relieve Back-To-School Stress

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the flurry of back-to-school activities? Have you waited until the last minute to organize your class room, buy school supplies or to prepare your classroom? Is just the change in your morning routine making you feel out of control?

Any type of change can cause feelings of anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed.

It's hard to think about slowing down at the very moment you feel the most rushed; yet, that’s the very thing that brings us back into balance and harmony. Taking a moment to take a deep breath and affirm that “there is plenty of time in the Universe” can slow down your energy and relieve that feeling of running out of time.

Everything happens at the perfect time in the larger scheme of things. Remember a day when running late from work put you just minutes behind a big accident on the freeway?

Here are some tips to help de-stress the transition back to school:

1. Take 5 minutes each morning to do breathwork. Breathe deeply in through your nose, using your diaphragm and abdomen, Exhale out your mouth from the back of your throat, making an "H" sound. Make sure to exhale all the way out.

2. Have nutritious “grab-n-go” foods on hand like bananas, apples or other fruit. Organic breakfast bars or homemade breakfast bars are a good choice.

3. Choose at least one day a week for physical exercise - go to the gym, do yoga or tai chi. Taking 2 hours a week to take care of yourself can prevent hours of pain down the road.

4. Read a motivational quote each day. It helps to keep adding positive, calming thoughts to edge out the negative, "not enough time" thoughts.

5. Say "NO" to extra-curricular activities when your calendar is full. Over booking your calendar can lead to more feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed.

6. Listen to your body. Tension in your neck, shoulders and back all mean that it's time to de-stress and take a moment for yourself. Schedule a massage. Don’t wait until the tension in your shoulders travels down to the middle of your back back up your neck until it morphs into a tension headache.

Both you and your children will benefit if YOU start out each day from a place of balance. Children are very sensitive to the energy of the adults around them. In addition, your children will learn from your daily example how to remain calm in the face of changing circumstances. They often don’t listen to a word we say but they hear everything we do.nn© 2008 Cedar Hill Massage