The air is getting crisper, the song of the summer’s being phased out of your playlists, and your favorite local coffee shop just reintroduced their pumpkin spice latte and cardamom chai. While the sun is still setting after 8PM, we know fall is well on its way, and with that comes the back-to-school season. Days by the water traded in for classrooms, swimsuits for school uniforms, and too often carefree late nights for stress-induced early mornings.

Back-to-school can come with a lot of excitement, from seeing friends every day to anticipating school dances and football games. It can also come with social anxiety, academic pressure, and general feelings of overwhelm.

Ask if you’re seeing the signs in yourself or your friends:

• Feeling unsettled or jittery?
• Experiencing quick or sustained changes in mood?
• Feelings of defeat or hopelessness?
• Disinterest in activities or your peers?
• Changes in appetite?
• Avoidance of responsibility?
• Mental stress is natural with transitionary periods; that doesn’t mean it should go unaddressed.

One of the best ways to combat stress brought about by change is by being in community with peers. Active Minds’ A.S.K. program sets up youth with three simple steps when it comes to showing up for friends.

Acknowledge: Let your friends know that you’re there for them; your presence and attention are a source of comfort.

Support: Validate their feelings, ask what they need, and how they would best feel supported by you. Some examples could be:

1. Do you want advice or someone to listen through your feelings?
2. Do you want to talk through your feelings or to sit together while you process?
3. Do you want me to help take your mind off of it and revisit after when you’re feeling more regulated?

Keep-In-Touch: Check in regularly and consistently. Complicated feelings, especially those related to transitions, routines, and stress don’t have linear trajectories. Make time for your friends and schedule it out in advance, whether that be an early morning coffee before class or a late afternoon pick-me-up after.

Finding and building community is another strong way to respond to the fluctuations in mental health during back-to-school time. While daunting, it is also very rewarding and a reason students should take advantage of campus club fairs, community bulletin boards, and local activity-based communication channels. Back-to-school is filled with the bustle of organizations looking to recruit and get excited about the year to come.

Join one of our 500+ Active Minds chapters across the country or start one on your campus.

Our chapters have three primary ways of engaging with mental health work

1. Implementing Mental Health Programming
   • Chapter meetings, planning events, tabling, and more!
2. Participating in Partnerships
   • Chapters have the chance to engage in national-level partnerships aimed at advancing their mental health advocacy and programming initiatives.
3. Advocacy and Mobilization Opportunities
   • These range from sharing thoughts and opinions with reporters, writing blogs for the Active Minds website (like this one!), speaking on panels, attending conferences, leading initiatives of their own, and more!