Back To School Advice

Hello fellow bloggers!

Okay so I thought I'd start my Top 5 Fridays a different week. But for now I've been requested to do an advice post on going Back To School. So we all know that going to back to school can be daunting and that most of us dread going in because you know that you have to get back in to the routine of getting up early etc. See I personally in the long run think it's not as bad as you think because you get to see your friends everyday or meet new people if you've moved schools or just gone into year 7. The only time school gets bad is when it gets to the end of the year and you just are too tired and cannot bare it anymore. Just to point out this is just me voicing my opinion in this whole blog post so dm me or comment your views if you agree/disagree.

If you're going to a new school, and you're feeling nervous, anxious etc. I'm pretty sure everyone around you is going to be feeling the same as you. I remember in year 7, I felt so so nervous on my first day because meeting new people was like the scariest thing I'd ever done back then and I only knew a few people from my previous school, but in my school they do split you when you join in year 7 so you meet you new people which is scary but good I suppose. Not going to lie, having anxiety makes me very nervous about going into year 11, because I have my exams and 1 more class to start this September, psychology. The one thing that scares me is having no one I know in that class and that's something I will have to overcome. I know some of my friends picked psychology, it's just not guaranteed that they will be put into my class. 

You're first day back is really important, I suggest just speaking to people, get to know the people around you, some of your best friends can be made in school believe it or not! Don't be scared to talk to people if you are ever in that situation. In year 8 I think it was, I met my group of friends that I have now, so school can be good in the aspect that you do meet new people. I met my best friend in nursery (I know that it's not school, but it's still the first stage of education) and we have gone to the same schools together since then. When it was time for secondary school we both got put into the same form which worked out great and now we're both in our last year of school together. Its quite scary how this might be the last year we see each other everyday because we might pick different sixth forms/colleges.

Okay so next thing, take part in activities. I've always wished that I had done more activities while in was in year 7, 8 and 9 and maybe 10, but I tried to focus on my exams then. I did take part in athletics and tennis and going to the gym. Doing activities meant having fun with my friends which I loved. We did athletics at one point for our training for Race For Life, which went pretty well, I think. It's not just about sports though, It could be art or design etc. If you are going to a new school I do recommend looking at what activities they have and see if they have something you can make a hobby out of or just go and see what activities they have to see if you can make new friends. And if these new people like and are passionate about the same thing as you it makes it easier to start conversations with them overall. 

One massive topic that comes up a lot in schools is bullying. Whatever school you go to there's going to be bullying, no school is perfect, that's just how it is. But I must point out if you are/do get bullied please do go tell someone straight away. When bullying occurs you just have to ignore it and act the bigger person, easier said than done, I know from personal experiences. A bully is a person who uses strength or influence to harm or intimidate those who appear weaker.  So if you show them your getting angry or upset they're going to keep going on at you because they know what makes you tick. From experiences, the name calling and all round bullying was usually really immature, pathetic stuff. Another thing from personal experience and just watching what used to go on around me, was for some reason if you were really good at something like art, playing a musical instrument etc, something different, unique, people used to laugh or take the p*ss out of you for doing it! Sometimes so much that it'd stop that person from doing what they loved to do. Wherever you go, whatever you do, always someone is going to try and put you down for doing it. The main source for this I believe is jealousy. Don't listen to what the haters have to say, if you want to dance, sing, play the guitar, whatever, follow your dreams!! - it's your life, not theirs! Don't let people put you down for doing something you love/enjoy. My number one piece of advice though if you are getting bullied though is just don't give back what you get, because "two wrongs don't make a right" obviously, and you don't want to make matters worse for yourself in the long run. Bully's tend to bully a person because 1, they have nothing better to do or 2, they might be going through something themselves- but this still doesn't make it right to bully someone else in my eyes. Most cases the bullies just bully people to show off in front of their mates to feel big about themselves. 

But moving on from that point because I just rambled, don't take the people you have around you in school for granted! In 4 or 5 years time you might see your 'friends' walking down the street and you won't even speak to each other anymore and part of you might think that's sad because you used to be such good friends with them back at school. I used to be friends with so many people in primary school, I think I know only a few of them now because they've all changed so much and become such different people. I don't think we realise how good school is because we see our friends everyday and get to catch up and learn at the same time- even though I think pretty much everyone teenager finds that the boring part- learning. When you leave, you'll probably see your friends once a month, so don't take advantage of them now!

Okay so my last tip is don't stress. School puts you under a lot of pressure at a young age and I get really stressed but I'm finding ways of dealing with my stress now. In years 10 and 11 I personally think that the pressure doubles because the most important exams (I don't know if this is for everyone) start/finish and that scares me a lot. It's important to work hard, while having a social life and having fun! Do things you enjoy, don't stress about things when you could be out there having fun. Yes work hard, yes try and get the grades but the most important thing is having fun and doing something you enjoy at the same time!

Sorry that this was an incredibly long post guys! I felt like I should do a longer post seen as though I haven't posted for a couple of weeks! I hope this helped some of you younger readers and older readers out! Let me know via twitter, tumbler etc.  

Jemma x