Coming back from a long break is often a shock. And although we had two days back last week, many students faced their first day back yesterday, something that can be hard on everyone’s attitude.

“Going back to school after a long break is like trying to thaw a frozen lake in one day,” said junior Raena Brendtro, explaining how hard it is to adapt quickly to a sudden change in schedule.

In order to make this transition a bit easier, here are some tips to make your week back a little better:

1. Sleep

Changing your sleep cycle suddenly can have a negative impact on how you perform in school.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need about nine hours of sleep each night, but only 15 percent of them get it. Keeping a regular sleep cycle and limiting device time before bed can help you feel nice and refreshed for whatever adventures the school day could bring!

1. Keep study time phone free

I am guilty of it too. I sit down to finish up my precalculus at 4:00 pm and accidently get sucked into my phone. Next thing I know it is 10:00 pm and I am on question two. Sound familiar? Because of this recurring problem, I downloaded the app Forest. Forest is a timer that “grows” trees while you are doing your work and if you close out of the app and use any other part of your phone the tree “dies.” One of the best parts of this app is that you are able to collect all the trees that you grow and build a productivity garden. After only having this app for a few days it already has boosted my productivity.

1. Stay balanced

As much as it feels like it is necessary to make sacrifices to do homework, it is important to keep a balance in your activities. Choose to take a break and go for a walk or workout instead of studying through the night. Go to bed early the night before a big test instead of pulling an all nighter. Study instead of binge-watching your favorite Netflix show. Taking a half an hour to workout is not going to ruin your test score tomorrow; it might even make it better. Learning how to stay balanced will allow your mental health to increase and keep the stress in your life low.

https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep