The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.
With the current month of August, and soon approaching September, means that the new academic semester or school year is starting up, or maybe you work somewhere. For me at least, I’m going to be working full time instead of part-time, and also am entering my final semester of college where I have classes to finish. This is all on top of balancing other life responsibilities, social life, and other extracurriculars.
I bet a lot of you are in my shoes as well, and honestly it can be a lot and be very overwhelming. This is ultimately due to having to adjust to new schedules and flows that happen in life during different “seasons” is how I always put it.
For example, for college and K-12 school, your season schedule is chunked into semesters or quarters, and each chunk of those is a different schedule. Typically these include different classes, work schedule changes, when you have free time, different interests change, and so many other factors.
I try to make a mental plan of the soon approaching season to try and mentally prepare for what my schedule “could be.” That way, once the season starts I can almost test out my plan to see what fits my lifestyle best. For example, I know I have work during certain days and times, classes that can be taken any time – but then understanding work amount and due date schedules, and then filling in my time to make the best schedule for me.
This is totally trial and error, and typically within the first two weeks of these seasons I test different things out until I catch a flow going during the two week adjustment period. Ideally, the best piece of advice I have is just making sure whatever you do is working for you mentally and physically. For you it may be times you eat, sleep, exercise, meditate, or journal. For myself, I personally know I need to do homework during a certain time of day or else I get unproductive, so I make sure to leave that time available to do it.
Usually a new season brings sadness and dread since you have to say goodbye to the current schedule and flow you already worked so hard to perfect and adjust to, but now you have a few tips to aid you and ease you into the next season you are entering.
I wish you the best of luck!
How frequently does your child’s schedule change? How do they handle changes and transitions? Does planning help them?