Have you ever found yourself dreading the first day back at school? Or woken up on that first morning with an unexplained headache or a sudden wave of fatigue? You are far from alone. This is a familiar experience known as the “back-to-school blues.”
Also referred to as Post-Holiday Syndrome, this is the brief window of anxiety and low mood that many students face when they return to campus after a long period of relaxation. Common signs include feeling down, difficulty sleeping, low energy, and trouble staying focused in class. It tends to surface after extended breaks such as summer vacation or the Lunar New Year holiday. The effects reach beyond students, and parents and teachers can feel the strain as well.
To safeguard your mental health during this high-risk period, experts recommend getting mentally prepared one to two weeks before school starts. For example, parents can help their children ease back into a routine by moving bedtime up by ten to fifteen minutes each night. Students, meanwhile, can decompress through exercise or by catching up with friends, so they return feeling refreshed and ready for the year ahead.
