No matter how many years you've gone to school, going back after a break is never easy. Saying goodbye to summer for months of homework and deadlines can be a challenge. Gone are the days of rolling out of bed at noon and laying by the pool for hours, wasting the days away. If you feel like you're losing a friend as summer comes to an end, you're not alone. Here are the seven stages of back-to-school grief that all students are going through by the time summer is on its death bed in August. *RIP summer*
1. Shock
It all starts with a back-to-school commercial. All the kids are dancing in their first day outfits. They're buying notebooks. They're playing hopscotch on the playground. They're singing on the bus. It's anarchy. How can summer be ending? You feel like you just turned in your last essay yesterday. You don't know if your heart can take this kind of bad news. How did this happen?
2. Denial
It can't be time for school to start again. Those companies just start those ads waaaay too soon so they can make more money. You still have plenty of time. You're not freaking out. Its fine. Your fine. (You also refuse to look at the calendar, but that's unrelated. Everything is *fine*)
3. Anger
How could this happen? You aren't ready for summer to end. You haven't even gotten the perfect tan yet. What about all the road trips you were going to take? The concerts you were going to buy tickets for? You haven't even started your summer bucket list yet. What kind of people make students go to school for so long anyways? Did you hear about the school two towns over? They don't start school for two more weeks. Two. Weeks. Where is the justice?
4. Bargaining
You will do anything for just one more week of summer. You'll be nicer to your family. You'll volunteer. You'll read more books. You'll sell your left kidney. Anything. Just make it stop.
5. Depression
Life is so unfair. Why do you have to go back to school? It's so pointless. Now you have to buy books and turn in assignments and wake up early. Might as well spend your last few days of freedom barricaded in your dark bedroom because doom is inevitable.
6. Testing
OK, so this school thing is obviously happening. It's time for you to come up with a good plan. Maybe you should buy all your supplies, suck it up, go to school and get it over with. Or maybe you should change your name, pay for plastic surgery, leave the country and never go to school again. Seems reasonable at this point.
7. Acceptance
Fine. You guess it will be nice to see your friends again, and some of your classes aren't awful all the time. You'll go back to school, but you don't have to like it, and a small part of you will keep mourning the loss of your summer break until May comes around again. Then you'll start the grieving process all over again in August. *yay for education*
