Change is difficult and the start of the school year, starting at a new school, is especially so. With new people and very few known people, it can be terrifying going into the environment. So since I have already experienced my fear and anxiety over this, and am still experiencing it, I wanted to share with you some tips that I think are important for your first day, week or term back at school. 

It has been a long time since we have been in a school environment and readjusting to a certain atmosphere while also getting to know a new place can be very stressful. While before we would have had six weeks off, that pales in comparison to the six months we have spent hidden away in our own personal hobbit holes. Before you could do a lesson in pyjama pants and watch TV while your teacher talked. But though many called that the new norm, the return to what was once normal is upon us. 

It’s hard and we are not the only ones feeling it. You shouldn’t be too hard or push yourself too far in the coming weeks. While it is important to focus, study and learn, you are also learning a whole new set of rules about face masks, sanitation stations and eating areas. Not to worry though, as your teachers and the staff are in much the same boat. We are all in this new boat together. They are likely to be more tolerant of us adjusting through her understanding. That doesn’t, however, mean that we can take liberties with their tolerance.

 Another thing it is important is friendships. There is a chance that at your new school, there won’t be anyone who you will know. So, what solution is there but to make some new ones? As someone who often doesn’t fit perfectly into any social groups, I find it quite difficult to make friends. Still, the first day at college, I somehow managed to make myself two new friends. So here’s the trick. You find people with the same interests. Someone who enjoys the same lessons or the same topic. Something that you can talk about. 

This is a bridge, a starting point of conversation. Friendships are built on the smallest moments that we may not even remember moments after it happens. While the big memories are the ones that stick, we fill in the spaces with tiny conversations and miniature moments. So even the start is a tiny little introduction, or merely just your name, it could be the start of something, brilliant and wonderful. 

It’s important that we all come to grips with the new and the changed but its also important that we remain true to who we really are. Try your best to stay calm and keep on. Life will keep on keeping on even if everything around you shifts a million times. So remember to stay true to yourself no matter how the tide shifts and changes.