After six months of being cooped up in the house, we are returning to school. Sweating over tests. Mucking around in the playground. Tons of homework. How does it feel for me to return to “normal” routine after so long?
I am scared.
Over the last six months so much has happened in all our lives as we have gone through the pandemic. When I go back to school I think everything will be a bit different, the teachers, the students. I will be different. And its not like primary school, where I knew the school and the teachers, their reactions and the things they would say, as I had spent so much time with them over the years. I only had two terms getting to know my new secondary school when Covid-19 closed it down. I will need to get to know the rules – both the formal ones and the informal ones – all over again. I think this is going to be a tough year for me.
How will I cope? I have a few ideas:
- Focusing on the basics like eating and sleeping and remembering to wear the right things (its all a bit funny in September when the weather goes in and out). Getting a good night’s sleep is really important. My brain goes in hyper speed when I don’t sleep enough and I have a lot more noisy thoughts in my head. Sleep helps keep them quiet.
- Try and organise yourself a bit the night before. I really get stressed if I am missing something form my bag, or if I cant find a piece of homework in the morning when there isn’t a lot of time to find it. Doing it in the night when I have more time makes it a little easier.
- Watch all the rules on Covid-19 from your school before you go back. Our headmaster sent us a nice video of what they wanted us to do – and I practised them a bit in my head. I think everyone will get very nervous if anyone breaks the rules so best not to. Rules should also keep you safe.
- Having something to look forward to at the end of the day. After a long hard day at school you need something to relax. This can be absolutely anything as long as it helps you recover. This could be screen time or you could go outside and kick a ball like I like to do, or lie in bed and day dream. Its whatever you need to look forward to when you are at school and finding it tough.
- I have also been trying hard to spend time with the one or two people in my school who are trying to be friends with me. This means doing things that they want- and I don’t really enjoy- but doing it with them has still been not too bad and having someone in school with a face you know- amongst all the ones you don’t- feels good.
I hope your return back to school goes ok. And like with everything else tough, take it a one lesson, one hour, one day at a time and it will be ok.
Keep safe and good luck.
Person with autism, aged 12
