There is one piece of advice that reigns supreme in the wellness world: reduce, or, better yet, eliminate stress. But that can feel laughable, right? Stress can often feel like a constant, ever-present presence in life; this can be amplified by the back-to-school season. If you’re in school, it can feel like a completely new beginning. If you have kids in school, it can feel like a whirlwind of new routines and schedules. If you don’t operate on the school schedule, this time of the year can still be insane. Let’s talk about how to follow that age-old, seemingly impossible piece of advice… you know, the one about reducing stress.

1: Write out your weekly schedule

Staying organized is an essential part of eliminating stress. Physically writing out your weekly schedule on Sunday evenings will allow you to schedule all of your absolutely necessary tasks (meetings with professors or colleagues, classes, taking your kids to extracurriculars), housekeeping chores (grocery shopping, laundry), and self-care activities (sleep, exercise, skincare). Be realistic with how much you can get done each day and leave time for rest. Following a schedule can help prevent feelings of overwhelm; instead of stressing about when you’ll get in grocery shopping, you can rest assured that it’s scheduled for Thursday evening. 

2: Meal prep

I absolutely cannot emphasize how helpful this can be. When writing your weekly schedule (!!), pencil in time to plan and prepare your meals. It may not be possible to prepare your meals for the entire week at a time, but preparing meals for a few days can still make a difference in your week. Plan meals that you know you’ll be excited to eat, so when your Monday evening throws stress at you, you know you have cozy pancakes planned for Tuesday morning.

3: Choose a self-care “star” 

When creating your weekly schedule (can you tell I love the weekly schedule?), choose one or two (or more, if possible) days to engage in self-care. The amount of time you spend will differ based on your responsibilities for the week, but even a 10-minute face mask can make a difference. Include a 15 minute journal session in your Tuesday morning routine, schedule a 30 minute walk for Saturday afternoon, book a yoga class for Monday evening, bake your favorite cookies on Friday night – there are so many options, and they don’t have to be complicated! Knowing that you have a self-care activity booked (even if it’s short) will push you through difficult days and keep you motivated to stick to your weekly schedule.

4: Don’t be afraid to say no

When you create your weekly schedule, leave time for social activities that you actually want to do. However, remember that you do not need to say ‘yes’ to everything. Saying ‘no’ to a social invite or a work opportunity does not make you a bad friend or lazy individual – it makes you a human that wants to prioritize your mental wellbeing. Be firm with yourself and others; if you don’t want to do something, do not agree to it. I know it’s easier said than done, but the ‘no’ muscle is one that only gets stronger with practice. Again, this emphasizes the value of the weekly schedule. If you get invited to drinks on a Tuesday, but you want to go to your yoga class instead, you have easy support to say no to the drinks. (However, give yourself permission to change your mind – if you have a yoga class planned and you get invited to drinks and want to go, know that you can say yes! Social engagement is an amazing and effective version of self-care).

The end of Summer and beginning of Fall is a time full of change. Be kind to yourself and set realistic expectations, and you will not fail.