Tips for Managing Back-to-School Stress

by Clinical Consulting Team

This post was written by our guest author, Margaret Beeson, ND.

Is it time to be thinking about going back to school already? Wait, summer is still here as I write this and I’m not ready for it to be over yet. Hopefully your summer fun isn’t over and you are enjoying some last endless days and are almost ready for new adventures this school year.

New teachers, friends, and a different schedule to accommodate all the newness can be exciting and at least a bit stressful, right?

Often, we think that stress is something we can control by thinking it away or that it’s “no big deal.” Yet, it’s important to know, or remember, that our bodies secrete hormones, also called neurotransmitters (NT), that are altered when we experience stressful times and days, even when we are not necessarily aware of the impact.

Neurotransmitters

Some of these hormones have names that you are familiar with, like serotonin, adrenaline, dopamine, and GABA. These substances exert powerful effects on our tissues and organs, including our heart and brain.

There are two main categories of neurotransmitters: excitatory and inhibitory . Adrenaline (also known as epinephrine) is an excitatory and speedy NT, and our ‘get up and go’ NT is dopamine, responsible for focus and energy. Some crucial inhibitory NTs are serotonin, which contributes to your sense of well-being, and GABA, which exerts a calming influence. Think of these two categories of hormones as either side of a teetertotter. A teetertotter is not static – it is always in the process of balancing.

Any big change in life has an impact on our adrenaline – returning to school after summer breaks has the potential to create anxiety around the newness of a new grade, teacher, friends, a different school or activities, and finding a new equilibrium with everything that entails. When demands are high, the speedy hormone adrenaline may also cause your heart to beat fast, disturb your sleep, and make it hard to concentrate. In turn, serotonin and GABA may not be able to compensate and balance the effects of the increased speed from adrenaline.

Cortisol release follows your adrenaline production, and this powerful hormone is an integral part of the system that protects you from illness. You will produce higher cortisol levels in response to fighting a cold or meeting a demand, like when working out more heavily during a sporting activity or while managing a potentially demanding class project. It’s not a mystery that many people fall ill in the first few months of the school year. It may take a minute to get into the swing of getting sufficient sleep and eating regular healthy meals.

Going too long without eating a balanced meal with adequate protein results in adrenaline spiking and increased cortisol secretion which triggers gluconeogenesis. This cascade of events provides glucose for ATP production. ATP is the energy your cells need to function. This process is a safety mechanism to ensure that your brain has access to this fuel, even when you haven’t eaten. The problem is, it’s kind of like running out of gas on the way to school or work – it takes more energy and is an inefficient way to travel!

It can be helpful to be mindfully aware that it is normal to feel odd and even anxious with all of the newness and schedule changes. We often think about taking a supplement or medication as the only way to manage the effects of imbalances. However, these mechanisms can also be balanced and optimized by your daily lifestyle habits.

Nutrition

Have an easy and nutritious breakfast ready as a go-to especially if you don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning. This can be a lifesaver – perhaps it’s a protein shake to drink at school or at a morning break. If you are an athlete, that protein is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and keeping blood sugar balanced. Dizziness or difficulty concentrating may simply result from a drop in blood sugar after going too long without the energy your brain needs to function. A weekend family shopping trip to pick out favorite lunch items and nutritious snacks may be a fun way to be sure that you and your kids are prepared to better manage the week.

Sleep

It can be difficult to plan for the sleep needed to wake up feeling rested on school days. Research indicates that younger kids need 9-10 hours a night and teens need at least 9 hours. This can be very difficult with after-school sports and other activities in addition to keeping up with schoolwork. Figuring out how much sleep everyone needs to feel rested in the morning will help you plan school nights around scheduled activities, studies, and ensure appropriate downtime.

Devices

There is quite a bit of information around cell phone and internet use at bedtime. Most recommendations point to agreements about spending time away from devices to accommodate optimizing those crucial sleep time commitments. It’s another habit that will ensure a better experience for everyone in the home, especially during the transition from the lazier days of summer to the more structured school year.

Staying Connected

If you are feeling a bit apprehensive and want to stay connected with how everyone in the family is feeling about back-to-school, there is a fun card set that may be useful for an intermittent check-in with each other. These are called We Grok cards . Using them is simple – plan a time to have each person pick out 2-3 feeling cards to relay how the week went, how they are feeling about school, or anything at all. Then select 2-3 of the needs cards to express what they may be needing in the moment or in general. The cards can also be used to have one person relate a short story of something that happened to them that week. You can then play a guessing game with other family members selecting a few cards to suggest what feelings the experience created and what the person may need in response to the feeling. It’s a non-threatening way to check in with each other, and identifying and expressing feelings and needs is a crucial way to keep stress managed and make home a safe and comfortable haven for everyone.

In summary, knowing that you will encounter some challenges with new and more structured schedules may encourage you to establish routines to make your days flow smoothly. Good food, sufficient sleep, and simple methods to communicate your needs can go a long way toward keeping your hormones balanced or to help you notice when they are not. Being able to notice when something feels imbalanced is the first step toward seeking solutions.

I hope this reminder and these simple tips are useful in helping you enjoy your return to school and that it’s a great year for all.

Become a DUTCH Provider to learn more about how hormone testing can help inform comprehensive patient treatment plans.

This post was written by our guest author, Margaret Beeson, ND.

The founder and owner of Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic, Dr. Beeson is a national leader in efforts to advance the quality of naturopathic care and integrate conventional and alternative medicine for patient benefit. She brings 40 years of medical experience to her practice, including a 20-year career as a nurse, certified midwife, physician assistant, and nutritional consultant. Before completing her naturopathic training at Bastyr University, she served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, and worked as a hospital and private practice nurse involved in surgery, recovery, acute and chronic care, ICU, psychiatry, allergies, nutrition, and environmental medicine. Dr. Beeson is committed to her Montana community, advancing clinical training for NDs, and collaborating with the conventional medical community.