Forget the Sunday scaries—going back to school after a long, relaxing summer creates a whole new brand of anxiety. Wdym we now have to wake up at 5 a.m. and sit around in a stuffy classroom all day?
If you’re feeling the pressure of another hard year on the way, read on for our best advice on beating your nerves and getting ready for your best semester yet.
Get Organized

The first step in stress-free school prep is getting all your gear together and organized. Go ahead and snag your backpack, binders, a planner and everything else you’ll need ahead of time. Having your gear all gathered (and color coordinated, TYVM) will help you feel so much more prepared.
The best piece of school supplies for an overwhelmed girlie? A planner. If you’ve never really been a planner person, take this as a sign that this is your year to start. Having everything written out and right in front of you is the *ultimate* stress reliever.
Fix Your Sleep Sched
Whether your summer was full of sleepover all-nighters or sleeping ’til noon mornings, we can all agree that summer sleep schedules, while fun for the moment, are less than ideal.
Don’t wait until the first day to turn things around–a week or two before school starts back, start adjusting your sleep to match your school days. Go gradually–try waking up five or 10 minutes early each morning, and before you know it, you’ll be back to your school sched in no time.
Plan Out Your Fits

Take it a step further than your first-day fit–try mapping out a collection of outfits to cover the entire first week (or even more). Go all in by adding the jewelry you’ll wear, the shoes and even DIYing your own Pinterest-y flatlays for your fits. Because let’s be real–the most stressful part of each morning is deciding what you’ll wear. (Well, not anymore!)
Treat Yourself

Give yourself something to look forward to rather than just things to dread. Sure, knowing you’ll soon be dealing with endless piles of homework is less than comforting. But things get a lot brighter when you know for sure the bad will be mixed with a few concrete sunny spots. Example: promising yourself that, no matter what, you’ll grab some Starbies the morning of any big test.
Or, create a playlist totally composed of all your favorite songs–but only listen to it when you’re studying so that locking in for that chem test is something you’re excited about.
Always sprinkle in some good with the bad–that way, even though school may not be your fave, you’ll always have something to look forward to.
Looking for more ways to manage your stress? We gotchu, girl– check out some of our other articles below…
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🧶 QUIZ! Which Stress Busting Hobby Should You Pick Up Next?
📚 The Ultimate Exam Season Survival Guide
Images: @sarahxjoy, @planningwithbumble, @goodmeredith, @shopcuffs
