7 Back to School Strategies | Guest Post from Renée Peterson Trudeau

SimonBus

I received this in my email box earlier this week from author Renée Peterson Trudeau (who I've featured here in the past) and thought these ideas were absolutely worth sharing here - so many of these topics have been on my mind the last few weeks. Anna starts at her new school on Tuesday and Simon has one more week of summer before beginning middle school. All kinds of excitement around here!

I hope you have a great weekend!

7 Back-to-School Strategies to Help You Stress Less and Simplify Your Life


Whether your kids are toddlers or teens, the start of a new school year signified opportunity, a fresh start, and a chance to do things differently. If you’re feeling some anxiety around the all the transitions, adjustments, juggling and driving that usually accompany a new school year, take a deep breath, pause and consider the following ideas for a simpler, less stressful school year. Adopting even one of these ideas could make a huge difference in how you experience this potentially hectic time. Begin with compassion and baby steps as you consider the following:


  1. Identify what’s #1 for your family this fall. What values or new ways of being are most important to you in the upcoming months?  Perhaps creating a calm morning routine, eating dinner together, having dedicated family time, developing a good homework routine or mapping out a game plan for regular communication? Consider creating a vision board together around your shared values.


  2. Set yourself up for success by enlisting a support team. What type of support do you and your family need to feel nourished and nurtured as you transition into the new season? Perhaps a tutor or parenting coach, a new carpool team, a source for ready-made healthy meals or a couple of back-up baby sitters for monthly dates with your partner? Line up help now and post your “support team” list in your kitchen where the whole family can see it.


  3. Schedule replenishing nature respites. Being in nature elicits a relaxation response; it helps us shed worries and restore and replenish our bodies and minds like nothing else. Pull out your calendar and schedule some family hikes, a father/son camping trip, a visit to a country cabin or lake house over a holiday break, or a potluck at a nearby park with your neighbors or friends.


  4. Do less to experience more. In our office, we love the mantra, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” A key cause of stress is ambition and trying to do too much. Researchers in the field of positive psychology say we’re happiest when we have fewer options and decisions to make. What can you say “no” to so you can simplify your family’s life? Our quality of life is enhanced not by adding things, but by letting go of that which we don’t need.


  5. Be mindful of technology.  In a recent survey I did, families across the U.S. said overuse of media was the top culprit for derailing their family’s emotional well-being and sense of connectedness. Consider doing an informal family media use survey (include phones, computers, tablets, TV) and create some clear media guidelines for how and when your kids can be online, play video games or use other devices. Many families also are finding keeping (or getting) a landline helps with screening calls and preserving precious family time in the evenings and on the weekends.


  6. Decide how you’ll communicate as a family. Regular, open, heartfelt communication is key to people feeling heard, seen, safe and secure and knowing their ideas matter. Especially when schedules are full. Some families have weekly communication meetings (post an agenda on the fridge and have your children add items to the list that they want to cover), some parents have Sunday evening planning meetings after the kids go to bed and others adopt practices as simple as everyone sharing a “thumbs up and thumbs down” at dinner each night. Do what works for you.


  7. Designate weekends for rest and relaxation (as best you can!). While it’s easy to stack our weekends with errands, household cleaning, social activities, sports and more, weekend time is sacred. The primary purpose of this 48 hour break is to rejuvenate and restore your energy reserves so you can return to work and school Monday with a fresh, excited outlook—ready to learn and take on new projects. While spending the weekend in a hammock may be unrealistic, realize rest and relaxation are essential to problem solving, idea generation and creativity. At least a portion of your weekend—and maybe all day Sunday-- should be devoted to physical and emotional renewal.


Now is a great time to mindfully reflect on what has worked and not worked in the past for your family and to explore how you might implement some of these strategies now, so you enter the new school year feeling cool, calm and connected.

More ideas, exercises, monthly mediations and inspiration on how to reconnect, stress less and experience more balance and harmony in everyday life in Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life (New World Library 2013) by Renee Trudeau.

Renée Peterson Trudeau is an internationally-recognized life balance coach, speaker and author. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, US News and World Report, Good Housekeeping, AARP and more. On the faculty of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Wellness, she leads workshops and retreats for 500 companies, conferences and organizations worldwide. Trudeau is the author of the award-winning The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. Thousands of women in ten countries around the globe are participating in self-renewal groups for women based on her first book. She lives in Austin, TX with her husband and son.  Stress less this fall by joining Renee Sept. 16-Oct. 25 for a brand new course just for moms: The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal Online Experience.  www.ReneeTrudeau.com     

Related Posts

Sign in or sign up to comment.

17 thoughts

  1. Kyetra Belton says…
    08/30/2013

    Number 4 is a big thing for me. I always try to plan too many things and commit to too many things. Then when I am unable to make it all work, I feel stressed and like I failed.
    I think this needs to be the number 1 thing I look at during Week In The Life.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Angie Hall says…
    08/30/2013

    Thank you. I really need this today. Focusing on No. 1 on the list today!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Alicia says…
    08/30/2013

    Love them all! Agree with them all!

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Kelly says…
    08/30/2013

    I so needed this today - thanks for sharing! I'm always feeling like I "should" be doing more, so I will be posting this sentence on my mirror: "Our quality of life is enhanced not by adding things, but by letting go of that which we don’t need." Identifying a #1 priority for the fall is such a great idea, and something I wouldn't have thought of doing.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Michaela says…
    08/30/2013

    I'm always saying "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" in terms of my kids' behavior, and I love how it's applied to #4 here. This was well-written and something I'll continue to go back to when things feel a little frazzled. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Michelle says…
    08/30/2013

    Just what I needed to read.Frazzled already about school,etc.Thanks for the tips!.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Steph S says…
    08/31/2013

    Thank you for posting this - it was prefect timing and I am going to buy the book!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Terri says…
    08/31/2013

    #4--YES. Second time in 24 hours I've heard that--a sign that I really need to simplify even more.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Kevin D says…
    08/31/2013

    Great reminders that should be shared with significant others. My wife shared this with me and as a dad who likes to "fix" things these are very practical and disciplined practices that I think are strengthened when both tackle it. Sometimes the recommendation from a third party also goes a long way vs. a mandate of "here is what we are going to do" from a spouse so share the article to increase success of family adoption.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Bec Kilgore says…
    09/02/2013

    I am going to look more closely at these tips and I am an older, single with no kids still at home. I do have a lot of care responsibilities for my elderly mother. Most everyone will be able to take something helpful from this post. Thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Maria G. says…
    09/04/2013

    I also think that It is very important to make your child feel self-confident and to be positive, because new school is a stress for any child or even a teenager. Also you should help your child to plan his studies and his spare time in order to make it easier for him to get used to his new schedule.

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. hypnotize someone says…
    10/27/2013

    I once again find myself spending a lot of
    time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. James Harlan says…
    10/30/2013

    Indeed, giving more time to high priorities is always number 1 way of simplifying life.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. under says…
    01/17/2014

    The best gaming laptops on the market allow their owners to play high definition games with much more perfection. The battery life is usually around three to four hours, and therefore, makes it good for work on the move.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. womens shoes says…
    02/10/2014

    What i do not understood is actually how you are not really much more well-liked than you might
    be right now. You are very intelligent. You recognize therefore significantly relating to this
    topic, made me individually imagine it from so many varied angles.

    Its like men and women aren't involved until it is one thing to accomplish with Lady
    gaga! Your individual stuffs nice. At all times handle it up!

    Feel free to visit my page ... womens shoes

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. cosmetic surgery korea says…
    02/23/2014

    Hi there mates, pleasant article and fastidious arguments commented at
    this place, I am truly enjoying by these.

    my web-site: cosmetic surgery korea

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Petertri says…
    10/12/2014

    Awesome post. I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!

    visit: hypothyroidism

    Reply 0 Replies

Sign in or sign up to comment.