Your Back to School Assignment

Back-to-school season can bring excitement, fresh starts…and a whole lot of anxiety. One phrase I've heard over and over from my kids and clients is, "I don't know anyone in my class." When we feel uncertain or like we don't belong, our natural response is often to close in.  That looks like looking down, staying quiet, pulling away, and waiting for someone else to make the first move. But sometimes the very things we do to protect ourselves from feeling isolated actually create more isolation. In this episode, I'm giving you a simple Back-to-School Assignment: notice when you're closing in, practice opening up just a little, and look for someone else who may need help feeling like they belong. In this episode, I share an experience my mom shared after working in the school system for 30 years. None of us has to walk into a room feeling confident. We don't have to make a best friend on the first day. Sometimes belonging begins with something as small as looking up, smiling, sitting by someone new, or being the first person to say hello. And in that process, we could be the reason others want to show up at school or work tomorrow.