Wednesday 2 September 2015

Dealing with Anxiety in School

My school experience has been pretty different to most people so when it comes to advice on school related issues, I'm not the best. But one thing I do know a whole lot about is anxiety. I'm probably anxious about 95% of the time and in school it gets much worse. So today I thought I'd share with you some of the things I do to reduce anxiety about and in school. 

1. Sleep- Going to bed early is just a whole life tip because if you get enough sleep you'll always better. Not sleeping enough effects you so much and will normally make you more anxious.

2. Get up early- This might contradict my last point but go to bed early and you can get up early. If you have to rush in the mornings because you pressed snooze too many times, you're more likely to forget things and be late. Getting up with a good amount of time means you can be prepared for the day. 

3. Eat- Having breakfast or taking a snack to school will make you feel better. I don't like to have lunch while I'm at school so I eat breakfast and take a cereal bar for break, and then have a very late lunch at home. A lot of people say that they don't have time for breakfast in the morning but if you get up early, problem solved. It may not seem like it at the time but eating is more important than an extra five minutes in bed. 

4. Do homework the night you get it- I always did this because I knew how much I panicked over it. If you do the homework as soon as possible, you can a) ask for help if you need it, b) be happy knowing you're caught up with work and you don't have to stress over it so much anymore, and c) remember the lesson clearly because it was more recent. 

5. Be organised- The night before pack your bag, and find the clothes you'll wear. Write a list of all the things you need for each day (if that's homework or a certain book). Learn your timetable if you can. All these things will mean you don't have to worry in the rush of the morning or be sat in a lesson and suddenly realise you needed your PE kit that day. Knowing everything you need to know about your school day will massively reduce anxiety.

6. Focus- Try your best to be mentally present in lessons. This was a difficult one for me because my mind was always on something else but as it turns out, listening actually helps. Who'd have thought it? If you listen to the teacher, you don't have to worry about them randomly selecting you to answer a question and then having the moment of pure embarrassment when you say 5x5 is 12 (yes that did happen to me). Also, you'll do better in your school work if you actually listen and understand.

 7. Find safety- When I went back to school, this was a big one for me. Basically, find a place or a person to go to if you feel like it's all to much. My anxiety was very bad and unpredictable so it was great to have somewhere in school I knew I could go when I would panic. I was lucky that my school was good at looking after me and I know they aren't all like that which is usually when it's good to be honest with friends or teachers and let them know that sometimes you need extra help.

8. Join clubs- I wish I had joined school clubs. In year 7 I was in string group where I was one of three who played the cello and it was great but I have never joined another. A lot of the time it feels 'uncool' or just a waste of time but it is genuinely one of the best things about school. They're offering a chance to learn what you actually want to learn and not just the curriculum (something which many people say school should do and luck would have it, they do. I guess they should more but that isn't the point). It also gives the opportunity to make new friends which is why I should have just joined clubs instead of avoiding them. This will lower anxiety because it is something in school you can enjoy making you actually want to go. And having a broader social life within school can help if you ever worry about being alone in lessons or sitting alone at lunch times. 

Tomorrow is the first day in three years that I will go back to school with the rest of my class and will be my last year of high school before college/sixth form. I'm very nervous but also excited. This time next year I will have done my GCSEs and will know what I'm doing next (I definitely don't at the moment). It'll be fun and I'll keep you updated as always. That's all for now, hope to see you next time. Bye 

21 comments:

  1. This post is so important and your tips were so helpful, and I will definitely be using them when I start uni! Great post xx

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    1. Thank you so much, I'm glad you liked them and good luck at uni x

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  2. This is really nice to hear, and straightforward post. To think, if I was ever told this, while starting secondary school, I would enjoy more greatly. It is true with asking, before hand or in time, that you need extra help. To a surprise, they do help in anyway possible. Sad to hear some don't and that's their change they need to make (the school). I'm so happy to read this, and school could be great with the right things to advice. Plus, good ever lucj and do you best with GCSEs'. Make sure to enjoy it, you'll see your grades go up, and ask for help is truly important. Thank you for posting this, take care always.

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    1. Thank you so much. I think asking for help is one of the most important things and it's good to hear you agree. Some schools don't fully understand how to look after students who struggle a lot and I do think that needs to change.Thanks again, glad you liked it

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    2. No problem. I really is a good subject and read.

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  3. Ah, you beat me to it! I think posts like these are so important and I'm glad you've done it! You also gave some really good advice and I'll definitely be using them!

    TheDonkeyInvasion - A Bookish Blog!

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  4. Going to try these tips. I already do some of them like eating and getting up early but I still need to work on getting all my homework done the night before.
    -V

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  5. These are all really great tips! :) You'll do great this year <3 I always find that it's also very important that you take time out for yourself and just relax because school can get really stressful and in the midst of it all we forget to just take a minute and breathe. Good Luck this year ;)

    http://crystallizeddaisies.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you :D that's good advice, I completely agree it's important to not make school your entire life even when it seems it should be. Thanks, I think I needed to be reminded of that one. Usually when I get into all the homework and revision I forget about everything else

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  6. This was such great advice. I don't have anxiety but I definitely do get anxious at times so I can sympathize with people who do suffer from it. This post was so helpful especially if like me you're nervous about going back. I hope you find yourself being less anxious this year at school, you're amazing xxx

    http://izzyk1998.blogspot.co.uk/
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    1. Thank you so much. Hope this helps and I hope you have a good year xxx

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  7. I can completely relate to you . I've just finished high school and am starting college now but I've actually been doing a few of the things you were taking about and will use many at college :) I get what you said about having a safe place. I always went to the library at school because it was quiet and calm :)

    lots of love, Marianne xxx

    http://myhappybubblexx.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Good luck with college. I hope these things have helped xxx

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  8. These are really good tips! Especially for people starting out! :)
    Peace xo
    www.waitwhatok. blogspot.com

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  9. This is so important so I'm so glad you wrote about it- I think a lot of the time, it's not necessarily the teacher's fault that they don't understand anxiety and mental illnesses; they're only taught how to teach you maths and English, not how to actually look after you (if you get what I mean?) These tips are wonderful though, I wish I'd have read them 7 years ago ^.^

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    1. Thank you, glad you like it. I do know what you mean, it's definitely not their fault and sometimes it's difficult because I find that I get irritated by certain teachers but I have to remember that they don't always understand x

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  10. This is such an amazing & helpful post! I'm home-schooled now because of school anxiety. I really like the way you've written about this & I'm sure it will help people xx

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    1. Thank you so much! And good luck with being home-schooled I hope it's better for you xx

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