The last of the metro Atlanta schools started back in session today. Now that everyone is back in school, how are you adjusting to the routine? The start of school year affects all of us, whether we are students, parents, or neither.

• As a student: gone are the lazy days of summer, sleeping in and lounging by the pool. It’s back to the routine of getting up and getting to class.
• As a parent: Are you back in the groove of getting the kids up? Making sure they have their homework done, their lunches packed, and any items they may need for their day? Have you settled in to the routine of bus schedules and/or drop-offs? Have you and your children begun to adjust to afterschool care arrangements?
• Don’t have kids in school? This time of year still may affect you: Have your commutes gotten longer with the return of the school bus schedules? Do you find standard office supplies hard to get, as they were on the class supply lists?

The start of the school year may be a stressful time for all of us: student, parent, worker, and non-worker. Soon the stress will fade and the routine will become habitual. In the meantime, how are you dealing with the stress? Have you found an alternate route to work to avoid the busses? Are you planning and preparing the night before? We’d love to hear your solutions for easing back in to the routine!