End of summer anxiety - keep your sanity

The year is about to start. You are full of anxiety about what this year will bring. You feel anxious about this child or that child that has a reputation. There are a few more days or weeks of summer. You are in this mental state where it can be difficult to enjoy those last days. Your mind is planning for next year. You might even find yourself feeling nauseous or noticing your heart racing faster at times if you have a serious case of anxiety.

Maybe this it what it looks like this for you.

Thought - How am I going to deal with _ this year. S/he was awful for last year's teacher. S/he is going to take all my time.
Feeling - Worried, anxious
Action - You push away the thought. You spend time writing out your plan. You talk with a friend about how you feel. You try to ignore the thought. You talk yourself out of your thought - "I can handle this. It won't be so bad."
Reinforcement - Your brain feels like it is doing a great job because you listened to the thought. You took some type of action after the thought. Action includes thinking about the thought and paying attention to it. Your brain gives you more thoughts about school. 

See how this becomes a vicious cycle? See how it robs your summer of enjoyment if you tend towards anxiety?

What works? You can try a variety of different techniques. This is what works for me.

1. Mental diffusion:

  • Choose how much time you will devote to school. Do you want to spend 1 hour a day thinking and planning for the new year for the last few weeks? Do you plan on spending 1 or 2 extra days before school starts? Do you plan on not working at all up till the contract year starts. You know the decision that is best for you and your students. Don't spend too much time planning during the summer! This is your summer. Make a realistic choice. 
  • Write out your plan and share with a friend, colleague or your family. By sharing your plan, you are taking action that puts the plan in motion. Your plan might be one sentence - I plan on working 3 hours a week on preparing for next year. 
  • Notice thoughts that happen outside of the time you have chosen to work on school. "Oh, there is that worry about how ___ is going to behave. Thank you. I'll think about you during my school time." Sometimes, if a thought keeps on coming, it is helpful to write it down on a list to purposefully think about during your school time. 
  • Expect your mind to ramp up the school thoughts if you start watching them. Your mind does not want you to just relax and enjoy summer. It wants you thinking. That's ok. You can assume that the thoughts will increase before they start to subside. 
  • Focus on what you are doing right a this moment. Right now you are reading. Don't anticipate what you will do next. Focus your mind on now. Look around your room. What do you see? Really notice where you are. When you are with family and friends, be present. If a thought about school comes up, that's nice. Say - "Ok mind. I trust I'll remember you when it's time to think about school. There's that thought again." 
2. Self-Help books

If you try all of this, and you are still struggling, you might consider reading a book. Some I recommend are: Don't Feed the Monkey Mind and The Happiness Trap. 

3. Therapy proven to work with anxiety and maybe medication

If that doesn't work, a good ACT therapist or CBT therapist can help with anxiety. Those are two methods that have a track record of being successful for anxiety. Traditional therapy doesn't always help with anxiety. Sometimes therapy combined with medication is the best option, but your Dr., would be the one who would know what is best for you depending on your history. 

You shouldn't have to struggle with anxiety at the end of the summer. But if you are struggling, there are things you can do to help you out. Try one technique. If that doesn't work, try another technique. Do not let anxiety rob you of your summer enjoyment. 

If someone kept on robbing your house and taking things from your house, you would not think - oh that's just the way it is. You would do something about it right away. 

If anxiety is robbing you of vacation, that is just as serious. Time can't be bought or replaced as easily as a new TV or Computer. Treat anxiety as seriously as a break in of your house. Your time is more previous than physical thing you own in your house. Once it is gone, you can not get it back. 


If anxiety about school is robbing you of your summer enjoyment, please take action on it today.


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