5 Ways to Overcome Back-to-School Burnout

1. Plan Early

Planning early may seem obvious, but it’s essential to help overcome back-to-school burnout. My daughter starts school in August, and her school supply list was shared in June. We often experience back-to-school burnout because we wait until the last minute to purchase supplies or practice routines. Try to buy the necessary clothes and supplies you will need ahead of time and in small batches. Most stores have back-to-school sales well before the first day of school, providing ample opportunities for you to plan. In addition to purchasing supplies, many local churches, city parks and recs, and community organizations host FREE back-to-school drives where you can also pick up free school supplies. 

Today, I invite you to plan early to help alleviate or decrease additional burdens or burnout for you and your family.

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2. Ask for Help

As you move forward in a new school year, who can you ask for help? To help overcome back-to-school burnout, it’s necessary to ask for help from those around you. It may be asking where to find school resources, creating a backup plan with other parents to help with carpooling, or taking suggestions for the best after-school care options. There is a community of other parents who are anxious about some of the same back-to-school components as you are and need to know they are not alone. Coming together and asking for help will lessen the mental overload and provide you with much-needed support. 

Today, I invite you to pray to God for boldness and courage to ask for the help that is available to you. Start this new school year with a renewed desire to step out of your comfort zone and ask for the support that God provides.

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3. Let Your Children Be Part of the Process

As parents, we often get so focused on checking off our to-do lists that we must remember to include our children in the back-to-school process. When our children are included in the process, it helps them feel valued and take ownership of the planning. It also helps build community and strengthens the parent, child, and family relationships. Children want to be included, but they also need to be asked and feel that their input matters. The back-to-school experience should not exclusively fall on one person or parent but should be participated in by the whole family.

Today, I encourage you to take the time to listen to your children’s requests and try to incorporate some ways that will help their back-to-school experience be more positive.

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4. Give Yourself Grace

As we start a new school year, it's important to give yourself grace when things don't go as planned and you have to make adjustments. We often become burnt out because we put unrealistic pressure on ourselves to be perfect and not drop any balls. While having a good plan is helpful, you want to leave room for the unexpected things in life that will happen. God will provide everything your child and family need for a successful school year!

As a new school year approaches, I encourage you to surrender your anxieties to God and allow Him to guide your back-to-school experience in a new and refreshing way! Receive God’s abundant grace to strengthen and sustain you, your child, and your family. Even the most organized plans will falter and require you to pivot. Don’t be discouraged; remember that God’s grace is sufficient and will cover all areas of your life, including the back-to-school season.

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5. Celebrate the New Beginning

While we are focused on ensuring all the logistics for back-to-school are taken care of, let’s continue celebrating the beauty and promise of a fresh start and a new school year. Take some time to celebrate with your child how far they've come and the exciting things in store! Celebrate the progress you've made and the steps you've taken to set you and your family up for a peaceful back-to-school year.

Be encouraged that this back-to-school season does not have to overwhelm you. You can overcome back-to-school burnout by planning early, asking for help, listening to your child’s needs, giving yourself grace, and celebrating the new beginning.

We don't have to approach the back-to-school season with overwhelming feelings; we can look to it with hopeful anticipation for the fresh possibilities. A new school year provides your child with another wonderful opportunity to grow, learn new things, and build meaningful and lasting connections.

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Resting in God's Wisdom

The school year always brings unexpected adventures and various challenges along the way. As we begin a new school year, I invite you to surrender this upcoming new school year to God and allow Him to strengthen and guide you, trusting that God will provide you, your child, and your family with all that you need.

Be encouraged and reminded that God will continue to cover, direct, and strengthen you as you pray and trust Him. Look at this back-to-school season as another opportunity to fully lean on God’s wisdom and direction daily. As a new school year approaches, don’t miss out on the numerous ways, big and small, that God is moving on behalf of your family.

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