Back to School Jitters

School is starting and anxiety is rising!!  When asked if you are ready for school, you get differing answers.  From kids, you get resounding no's.  From parents, it's a different story.  Are you are a parent that's ready to dress your child, spoon feed them if it's quicker, and personally place them on the bus for school?  I think part of the reasoning is that once your children start back to school, you see a decrease in your house- a decrease in the electric bill (lights stay off when no one's in the room), a decrease in the grocery bill (all-day grazing comes to an end), and a decrease in toilet paper (I don't think I have to explain that one).  But for students, the dread of going back is partly because of the unknown- new teachers, new classes, and sometimes new friends.  One of my daughters has a best friend who will be attending a different school this year.  She is anxious about having a friend to talk to during the school day.  She has attended the same school since kindergarten, but still feels anxious.  My other daughter is worried because she has several friends going through some tough times right now.  She's not sure how to help her friends.  Can't you relate to these problems sometimes?  I'm an adult, but I've dealt with the same issues.  There are times I have friends that I want to help but don't know how.  Friendships can make you anxious.  Sometimes you can be tempted to isolate and forgo friendships entirely, but this isn't what God intended.  When my husband and I speak to fellow Christians and ask them what they need more than anything, almost all reply they need friendship.  We get so busy or weary of the time it takes to invest in relationships, that many times we neglect or give up friendships entirely.  So how do we keep friendships healthy and alive? 

Here are some tips:

1. Keep God in your friendship.  Pray for each other.  Share God's love for your friend.
2. Show patience and remember you don't know what they have been through that day.  There have been days that I've been hangry (hungry and angry) and have had to apologize.  Give your friend some mercy and grace.
3. Sometimes a text, email, or post does not express what your friend really means.  Ever seen someone forget and leave the CAPS lock button on?  You think they are really angry when they are just unaware of technology.  If you have something important to say, say it in PERSON!!!  You cannot understand tone, body language, or full content from a post.  All of these things are integral in understanding how someone really feels.  Want to save a friendship?  Don't rely only on Facebook, texts, or emails for communication.
4. Forgive.  Life is too short and complicated to hold grudges and walk alone.  Not only does forgiveness make you feel better, but it gives you more support when you go through hard times.  So as the new school year begins, kick anxiety to the curb and make a new friend!

Have a great school year high-heeled warriors!