A new school year can be exciting, dreadful, meh, but almost always riddled with anxiety. Some are given the tools to help deal with anxious ticks, but others haven’t found what works for them best. Here are just a few suggestions to help get yourself started.
Fidget Rings
We’ve all heard of—or participated in—the 2017 trend of the fidget spinner (followed by the fidget cube) but quickly decided they were outdated. Easily lost, “distracting” in class—modded spinners being selectively dangerous, and other hardships of carrying around the small trinket. For some, maybe even most, anxiety will always be a constant companion, and fidget tools like the spinner or the cube won’t always be readily available. But what if there was something always on hand?
Fidget rings are a unique, fashionable way of efficiently and discreetly handling anxiousness. If you’re prone to nail-biting or other obsessive behaviors regarding your hands, fidget rings are a better way to immediately deal with restless fingers. Different types of fidget rings accommodate your style, whether it’s thin, woven metal, or thick silver bands. Amazon and Etsy are the best places to find affordable and functional fidget rings.
Planners
If you like to stay organized and have your things sorted out, you might already have a physical or online planner. If you don’t, and are dealing with the stress of overdue assignments, lost papers, and sudden tests—now might be a perfect time to invest in a planner.
Apps like Egenda, Google Keep, and Chipper: School Planner are free and perfect for strengthening simple organizational skills. However, if writing things down, highlighting, and checking boxes gives you a satisfaction that online planners can’t, a physical notebook would be most helpful and motivational. A simple lined notebook is an inexpensive way to keep track of assignments and upcoming events, but pre-organized planners keep everything much easier.
- Erin Condren (~$40 avg. for academic planner, customizable),
- Ivory Paper Co. (~$50 avg. for academic planner),
- and Sugar Paper (~$30-$40 avg. for academic planner)
… are just a few paper and stationery companies with these materials. Checking your planner every day will help develop better organizational skills and other responsible habits for the future.
Carry Around A Small Notebook
Our minds get cluttered easily—dates to remember, inspirational quotes, a good idea for dinner, club meet schedules—which will pop into our heads at the most random of times. Some resort to using the nearest Sharpie and jot down the notes we need on our hands; compromising a page in the math notebook that’ll be forgotten about later. To keep all of the fleeting random thoughts, ideas, and reminders in one place, keep a small, 5” by 4” notebook in your back pocket!
Declutter your mind; use it to pass notes; make little incognito doodles; draw eye roll emojis at the annoying person sitting across from you—personalize the cover and make it your own thought bubble gallery.