I don’t know about you, but when I was younger, I had a particularly difficult time transitioning from the days of the freedom of summer (no school, the heat and long sunny days, cooled only by jumping in a body of water or a friend’s air-conditioned house as we ran wildly about) – back into the regimented days of school, where it was an often-times 8 am to 4 pm schedule (not counting waking up earlier or being involved in a commute that took longer, and the hours dedicated to homework, or the after school job). 

Now, I still find myself, as I long for the freedom of summer when May hits, as August is upon us, I still get that feeling in the pit of my stomach, that the summer is coming to a close, and I’ve missed my window to truly enjoy my freedom (that I didn’t actually have to begin with, because I’m not a full-time student, and I’m not a teacher). 

For those with children, I’m sure this feeling rings true and can be felt by everyone. A sort of “Back-to-School Burnout”, if you will. (For me it’s just work burnout, HA!)

This time is actually really pivotal for starting to work on schedules to ease tension and help the school year start smoothly. This is actually a grounding exercise, believe it or not.

Speaking with members of your household to see where they feel the most anxiety will creep in over the coming weeks can be a really good place to start. 

For you, it might be shopping for new clothes for the kids, or changing schedules to make sure everyone is up on time. Maybe it’s getting lunches ready for everyone. But for your kids, they might be most concerned with knowing their specific route on the first day for classes; or maybe it’s something to do with a very specific item of clothing that is really important to them; or maybe it’s a fight they had over the summer with a friend that hasn’t been resolved and they are worried how that will impact the entire school year (everything is larger to a kid); If you have multiple kids, check in with each of them – the worries and concerns are different for each, and all very valid. If you have a spouse, their worries are also very valid and need to be taken into consideration and discussed just as much as the children’s and your own.

You don’t have to have the answers for everything. Being able to listen, and share in their struggles and doubts is a good family moment. But in sharing the struggle, you may learn that you do know how to approach some of their worries. Maybe you can help them. 

Another great check, since this is about the end of Summer, is to ask the members of your household if there is one thing they regret not doing this summer. Or maybe phrase it like, “If there was one more thing you could do this summer on a budget of $20 (or within a certain mileage), what would it be?” and try to make it happen either before the school year starts, or that first weekend after the school year starts, to bridge the gap. (It can be any sort of monetary or distance or kind of wish fulfillment that fits in your budget and capabilities – the point is to help extend the life of summer and show your family that the magic and freedom of the season doesn’t have to end just because school started again.) 

And if you are like me, no children (or nieces and nephews only), and you aren’t facing the Summer Blues because of returning to School, but you have that nostalgic feeling, hopefully you can focus on the upcoming holidays (Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas); Be sure to check in with yourself – what are your anxieties about the summer coming to an end? Is there something you can go do before the end of August that you haven’t been able to do all summer?

Try to find some pockets of cool air, and don’t forget to chase some fireflies at dusk.