Helpful Habits: The Back to School Edition

By Jennifer Voorhaar, LCSW-C

Let me start by saying, if school has already started for you, and you’re already in the thick of back to school transitions….keep reading. Really! Keep reading. It is never too late to change things up, try something new or create a healthy habit.

Now that you’re still reading, I’ll next say….well done! You survived summer. Your kiddos are back to school, and you did it! For those of us (myself included) who still have children at home living their best summer life, hold on my friend, they're going back soon! In all seriousness, I truly love summer. I enjoy having my kids home and hearing them hanging out with each other (teen boys) as well as friends and family who visit. I enjoy the ease (and the quiet) of the mornings and the chaos of summer sports in the evenings. I really, REALLY enjoy not having to monitor homework!

But, here we are just a few days away from the start of the new school year. What I offer to you today are a few tricks, tips and ideas to help make mornings smoother, homework less stressful, and meals more enjoyable. Try them all, or try a few but I ask that you at least try one. When one works, try another and maybe... just maybe… you’ll try them all.

We want our kiddos to be smart about their choices and with their healthy habits so I’m going to break this down with an easy way to remember things… S-M-A-R-T.

S – Start Small – there is no need to go from summer ease to rigid school schedules. So, start small. Maybe you start with a slight adjustment with bedtimes which aids in the adjustment of wake up times. Start small. We’re not going from free range teens to 5 am risers. Ease back in over the next week or so. If your kids have already started school, and the bedtime and wake times are set, choose another place to start small. Maybe you chose to plan one meal a week rather than the whole week’s worth. Because here’s the deal… small things add up to larger things, and eventually you’ll have a week’s worth (if that’s the change you chose!)

M – Make it manageable – You’ve started small so hopefully it is manageable, right? Yes. But, another great way to make things manageable is the Habit Stack. This is my most favorite idea of habits. Habit stacking is when you pair two habits at once just like the old saying “two birds with one stone.” So, maybe you listen to an audible while you drive because you just don’t have time to sit down and read. Or, maybe you meal plan and make the grocery list at the same time. Maybe you drink water before making your coffee so you’re hydrating and enjoying your cup of joe. Maybe you take a walk while on the phone with a friend or better yet, invite that friend to walk with you. You get the idea. Two healthy habits done at the same time… saves time.

A – Always give yourself grace. If you make a meal plan and the week falls apart, and you don’t follow the meal plan… give grace. We’ve all had great ideas for a dinner and by mid day we remember the meat is still in the freezer. It’s ok! If you set a routine and it doesn’t happen one day, then do it tomorrow. Give yourself grace. It is ok to forget. It is ok to just not have time. But, try again tomorrow.

R – wRite it down. Ok, a little play on the letter there but you get the idea. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study and found that people who write things down are 42% more likely to achieve their goals. Grab a notebook, an agenda, calendar, or use your phone and write it down. Plan out your day. For example, here’s what a day written down for me might look like on a school day:

5:15 am – wake up and get ready to work out

530-615am – work out (wake boys if not already awake)

615-630am – ready my bible and have coffee

630-6:55am – boys ready, prep my food for the day

6:55-7:10am – boys to bus

7:10am-7:45am – get ready

7:45- leave (yes, I write down what time I want to leave so I have my plan together)

8:30 – this is where the work schedules come in (and that’s a different list)

I sit down the night before and plan the next day so I know what time I need to get up and I know what my morning will look like. But, I give myself grace if it doesn’t look exactly like this. Sometimes, I’m drinking coffee and listening to a faith podcast in the car instead of sitting down in my favorite spot. But, it’s still getting done and I’m successful.

T – Totally Celebrate the wins! That’s right. Celebrate and honor your hard work to get into back to school/fall routines. A celebration looks different for everyone, but embrace it. Maybe it means Frozen Pizza Fridays (yes, that’s a thing in my house most weeks) because we’ve worked hard all week and it’s time to slow down. Or maybe it’s Sleep in Saturdays (if fall sports allow) or maybe it’s a just a delicious beverage on the porch enjoying the cooler weather.

There you are…SMARTy pants! Leave us a comment below to let us know how it goes!