News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Common Stressors of the Back-to-School Season and How to Deal With Them

Nadezhda Prokudina
/
123rf Stock Photo

On Sounds Good, Dr. Michael Bordieri and Tracy Ross discuss methods of easing the transition from summer back to school for K-12 and college students.

 

Bordieri says the change in structure that comes along with the back-to-school season can be stressful for both kids and parents. Changes in sleep schedules can be one of the biggest stress factors. Bordieri says missing even one or two hours of sleep can have major effects on memory and attention in the classroom. There are varying opinions on how to go about the schedule change but Bordieri says the general suggestion is to stick to a routine once it comes time for the transition. He says it is also important to protect hours of sleep by establishing a set time to go to bed and a set time to get up.

The unknowns of a new school year also contribute to stress, Bordieri says. Kids can experience anxiety over making new friends or worrying over how they will do in class. Bordieri says parents can help normalize those feelings by sharing their own experiences of starting back to school as well as giving kids permission to express dissatisfaction with the experience.

 

For first-time college students, the transition back to school is the start of a new phase of life.

 

“It really is a big developmental jump, right. That you go from sort of being in a structured environment at home and having really clear rules, you have to be in class. Well, in college you don’t have to be in class. You know, I teach here, I’m not going to go out and find you if you’re not there. And there are consequences when you don’t show up,” Bordieri said. “So I think some of it is learning that. You want enough room to explore and sometimes the lessons you’re going to learn are when you mess up a little bit. There’s a little bit of room to do that.”

 

Bordieri says it is important to allow time to adjust to a new structure but also to establish a routine going forward.

 

“If you want pancakes at 3:00 a.m., go get pancakes, it could be great, it’s fun. And if you do that every night and you’re not sleeping, then there are consequences to that. So I think there is some of that learning going on,” Bordieri said. 

Tracy started working for WKMS in 1994 while attending Murray State University. After receiving his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MSU he was hired as Operations/Web/Sports Director in 2000. Tracy hosted All Things Considered from 2004-2012 and has served as host/producer of several music shows including Cafe Jazz, and Jazz Horizons. In 2001, Tracy revived Beyond The Edge, a legacy alternative music program that had been on hiatus for several years. Tracy was named Program Director in 2011 and created the midday music and conversation program Sounds Good in 2012 which he hosts Monday-Thursday. Tracy lives in Murray with his wife, son and daughter.
A proud native of Murray, Kentucky, Allison grew up roaming the forests of western Kentucky and visiting national parks across the country. She graduated in 2014 from Murray State University where she studied Environmental Sustainability, Television Production, and Spanish. She loves meeting new people, questioning everything, and dancing through the sun and the rain. She hopes to make a positive impact in this world several endeavors at a time.
Related Content