Going back to school can be hard. You’ve just had an amazing summer where you got to spend your entire day outside enjoying the sunshine and living your best life! Now, you have to go back to spending the majority of your day in a space with people you may not enjoy being around, and a teacher lecturing to you about a topic you don’t find that interesting. It’s hard, and I remember when I had to go through this. It wasn’t fun and I often had a hard time adjusting. I remember climbing back into my shell when school started. I rarely spoke to anyone outside of class, and I barely spoke in class. I felt alone, and tormented by leaving my house before sunrise and coming home after sunset.

S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder) is real, and it can be hard to deal with. 

I am here to tell you that it gets better. While it may be hard to make friends at first, there will always be like minded people in school with you, and you will gravitate towards them. After a few weeks you will have a group of close friends you enjoy being around. Together, with each others support you will be able to fight through the storm that are the first few weeks of school. Soon enough, you and your friends will be exploring the campus and making all kinds of discoveries. 

One discovery you are going to make is your spot. Your spot is the spot on campus where you can go hang out hidden from the prying eyes of teachers, and unwanted guests. Your spot can be a staircase, an unused classroom, or even a table in the dining hall. In this space you will be able to vent freely, play the kind of games you want to play, and be able to relax. Once you find this spot, your days at school will get much easier. A great thing to pair with your spot of relaxation could be your new book or a simple two dollar deck of cards. 

When I went to school, the person with a deck of cards was always queen of the free period. The other kids would flock to them and we would play games like President and Penutbutter. The competition is a great way to let out frustrations and destress. The coolest part about card games was that all were welcome, and I never felt like I didn’t belong! It’s a great way to bond with people in your class and for you to make new friends.

Going back to school is hard, and none of us want our summer to end, but it is inevitable. It does get easier, and in the future, you will miss the days of your life when homework is your biggest concern. Enjoy the time you have with your friends and teachers in school, you have it now and you’ll never get it back. So live it with a big smile and don’t look back.