Going Back to School: A Few Reminders for This Season of Life

Going back to school is hard. Especially when your summer has been filled with camps, vacations, late nights, spontaneous plans, and spending time with the people you love. Then suddenly, you're expected to wake up early, follow a schedule, keep up with assignments, navigate friendships, and somehow feel motivated to do it all.

Getting back into a routine can be exhausting. And sometimes, it can feel like everyone else has it together while you're struggling to find your footing.

There are so many difficulties that come with a new school year. So, as you head back to school, here are a few reminders I wish someone had drilled into my head when I was younger.

Make Time for God

When life gets busy, God is often the first thing we push aside. We tell ourselves we'll pray when we have more time. We'll read our Bible when we're less tired. We'll make time for church when our schedule calms down. But the busier life gets, the more we need Him. You don't have to have an elaborate morning routine or spend hours studying Scripture every day. Start small. Pray on your way to school. Listen to worship music. Read a few verses before bed. Talk to God about the things that are stressing you out.

Give Him the parts of your life that you feel like you can't control.

God doesn't need you to have everything figured out. He just wants you to walk with Him through it.

Being Drained Is Normal

You are not failing because you're tired. School can be exhausting. Balancing academics, extracurriculars, friendships, family, work, and everything else life throws at you can leave you completely drained. Give yourself grace. You don't have to be productive every second of every day. You don't have to say yes to everything. Rest is not laziness, and needing a break doesn't mean you're falling behind. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is take a breath and remember that you are a person; not a machine.

Remember That Social Media Is a Highlight Reel

It's so easy to scroll through social media and feel insecure. Someone is always prettier. Someone has more friends. Someone is going on better vacations. Someone seems happier. Someone has the relationship you've always wanted. Someone is accomplishing everything while you feel like you're barely keeping up. But you're comparing your real life to someone else's highlight reel. You don't see the arguments, the insecurity, the loneliness, the bad days, the family problems, or the moments they don't post. Don't let an edited version of someone else's life convince you that yours isn't good enough. Your life doesn't have to look like anyone else's to be beautiful.

God's Plan Is Greater Than Your Own

I know this is easier said than done. We all have plans for how we think our lives should go. We have the college we want to attend, the friendships we want to have, the person we think we'll end up with, and the future we have imagined for ourselves. But sometimes God closes doors that we desperately wanted open. And sometimes, years later, we realize that the closed door was exactly what we needed. Trust that God sees what you can't.

His plan is greater than the one you could create for yourself.

Don't Give Drama the Power

This is something I feel especially strongly about. As someone who sees drama play out every day among my students, and someone who experienced plenty of it myself, I can tell you that drama is not worth giving your peace away for. When you allow gossip, rumors, arguments, or other people's opinions to consume you, you give those people power over you. And they don't deserve that power. Not every situation needs a response. Not every rumor needs to be defended. Not every person deserves access to your emotions. Let God handle what you can't. He is in control, and He will guide you toward the friendships and support systems you actually need.

Focus on Your Friends, Not Boys

And yes, this is coming from someone who has been with her boyfriend since I was 15.

I still believe this wholeheartedly.

Don't be the girl who is male-centered. Be the girl who is Christ-centered.

Your teenage years and young adulthood are about so much more than finding a boyfriend. Build friendships. Discover who you are. Try new things. Travel. Laugh until your stomach hurts with your friends. Create memories. Grow in your relationship with God. Become comfortable being your own person. The right person will come at the right time. But if you haven't learned how to love yourself, build healthy friendships, and create a life outside of a relationship, you'll never be fully prepared for a healthy relationship. A boyfriend should be a part of your life; not your entire life. Invest in the people who will be there for you through every season. Your friends can become some of the greatest sources of love and support you'll ever have.

Your Life Isn't Over, Even When It Feels Like It Is

I understand that sometimes it genuinely feels like the end of the world.

And honestly, I think middle school was one of the hardest seasons of my life.

That's coming from someone who grew up in a broken household, experienced loss in high school, and eventually had to give up a lifelong sport in college because of disability. Middle school was technically the "easiest" of those seasons. But I have never experienced the same kind of dread that I felt walking into school every morning in seventh grade. I remember feeling like everything mattered so much.

Who liked me. Who didn't. What people were saying. Where I sat at lunch. Whether I had friends. What people thought of me. At the time, it felt permanent. It wasn't.

Whatever you're going through right now is not the entirety of your story.

The friendship you lost isn't the end of your story.

The person who doesn't like you isn't the end of your story.

The bad grade isn't the end of your story.

The embarrassing moment isn't the end of your story.

The season where you feel completely alone isn't the end of your story.

You will grow. You will change. You will meet new people. You will experience things you can't even imagine right now.

I wish someone had beaten that into my head when I was in school.

It gets better. Keep going. Keep trusting God.

Give People Grace

Finally, give people grace. You truly don't know what someone's life looks like when they go home. The classmate who is mean to everyone might have never experienced love.

The girl who seems angry all the time might be dealing with things you know nothing about. The "weird" kid might be desperately looking for somewhere to belong.

Someone might be going between two houses. Someone might have lost a parent. Someone might be dealing with problems at home that they would never tell anyone about. That doesn't mean someone's hurtful behavior should be excused. You can have boundaries and still have compassion. Because things almost always look different on the outside.

So be kind.

Be kind to the weird kids and the quiet kids. Be kind to the kids who sit alone and everyone else talks about. Be kind to the mean girls, too. You never know what a little kindness could mean to someone who desperately needs it.

Be the person people remember for being kind.

As You Go Into This School Year...

Don't measure this season by how popular you are, how many friends you have, whether you have a boyfriend, how you look, or how well you think everyone else is doing.

Measure it by how you're growing.

Grow closer to God.

Build meaningful friendships.

Give yourself grace.

Protect your peace.

Work hard, but rest when you need to.

Don't let drama consume you.

Stop comparing your life to someone else's.

Trust God's plan even when you don't understand it.

And above all, remember that your worth was never determined by what happens in a school hallway.

You are loved by the God who created you. And whatever this school year brings, you don't have to walk through it alone.