My Best Advice for the 2026-27 School Year • ep. 153

back to school

Here in Vegas, school is in full swing. A few of you gals asked for another “best advice for the school year” episode, so let’s go. This is our fifth year doing this, and no matter when during the school year you listen, I hope it helps. First, let’s review past episodes.

The 2022-23 school year was episode 039. The advice I shared was:

• People are icebergs

• Because of that, be kind

• Speak up and assert yourself

The 2023-24 school year was episode 072. The advice I shared was:

• Allow yourself to fail

• Make time every day to disconnect from tech

• Remember your worth

The 2024-25 school year episode was 108. The advice I shared was:

Own It:

• Your Responsibilities

• Your Choices

• Your Behavior

The 2025-26 school year episode was 134. The advice I shared was:

• Be Present

• Try a Grandma hobby

• Get out of your way

If you haven’t heard those episodes yet or need a refresher, I highly recommend listening to them, too. The messages still apply, they don’t expire.

For this 2026-27 school year, here’s my best advice:

overthink what might go right

First, a humble brag – I have a pretty great imagination, but I am especially skilled at overthinking about what could possibly go wrong in any situation or future event. And even if the worst case scenario is incredibly unlikely, I can convince myself that there’s still a chance, and that means it could happen. What can I say, my imagination and my intrusive thoughts work great together!

It can be hard to catch anxious thoughts when they’re like a runaway train. You text your friend about doing homework together. She doesn’t reply right away. While you wait for her response, your thoughts start to take off, “Did I do something wrong? Is she mad at me? What if the friend group is hanging out without me? I’m such a loser, no one likes me! Now I have to switch schools!” That escalated quickly.

How about, you’re practicing for something – a sport, an instrument, a performance, a competition. And you mess up, so you try another time, and you mess up again. And again. You’ve now got some data points, so your imagination and intrusive thoughts can also team up with logic. So your mind starts spinning, “I’m terrible at this. What if I keep making mistakes? My parents/coach/teacher will be so disappointed. I have to be perfect or I might ruin it for everyone else. I have no future in this, I should just quit now.” Crashing out can be crushing.

But do any of you gals relate? Based on what I’ve heard from girls, you’re not alone if you’ve struggled with this. At the very least, I’m right there with you. And it’s really difficult to anchor yourself when you’re in a downward spiral.

So here’s my advice. If you’re gonna overthink what could go wrong, at least try overthinking what might go right, too. This takes a lot more effort, imagination, and focus, but if you’re considering possible scenarios, there’s some multiverse out there where good things could happen, too.

In the example with your friend, imagine she isn’t texting back because she’s spending time with her family or taking a screen break. And when she replies, she’ll want to meet up to do homework. Or even if she can’t, it’s not because she’s mad at you, it’s because she has a guitar lesson or something. When you don’t have all the info, you don’t need to fill in the blanks with self deprecating thoughts. People aren’t thinking unkindly about you as much as you think. So think more kindly of yourself, and assume better instead of the worst.

Or even just neutral outcomes. In the example of you keep messing up, I’m not saying you have to counter your negative thoughts with, “I’m gonna be the best at this and win a Guinness World Record!” You can just remind yourself that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. So even if you mess up, you can try again, and again. You don’t need to be the best, you can just do your best, and that’s enough. And you could do better than you think, so keep at it to find out. Okay? Overthink what might go right.

keep moving

My next piece of advice is to keep moving. Now of course, keep moving like perseverance, but I also mean keep moving your body. Movement has many benefits that aren’t physical. Studies have shown that exercise/activity improves your mood, your energy, your memory, your thinking skills, and even your sleep. And you need all of those things, especially during the school year. So whether you like to run, or you’re a walker like me, you play a sport, do yoga, interpretive dance – whatever you like to do that gets your blood flowing, keep moving.

And while you’re at it, check that your motivation to move comes from a productive place. We touched on this in episode 098 Body Image. I used to believe that I needed to exercise to make up for the food I ate or because I wanted to change how I looked. Motivation based on shame is not what we’re aiming for. Move because you like to, move because endorphins feel good, move because you want to see what you’re capable of doing, move because you prioritize yourself and your physical/mental health, move because you are able to, move because you were made to. Lots of options there, so keep moving.

become better friends with yourself

Lastly, I want you to think about a recent time that you supported a friend. Like when your friend had team tryouts, you wished her good luck and gave her a list of affirmations. Or when your classmate told you he got dumped, you validated his feelings and gave him a shoulder to cry on. Or when your neighbor got her driver’s license, you were excited for her! I’m sure you’ve been a kind and generous friend to others. So since you already know how, my advice to you is to be a better friend to yourself.

If you’ve seen the OG Mean Girls, you may remember the scene when the Plastics are looking in the mirror and picking apart their flaws. That scene sticks out to me every time, because it’s a reminder that somehow we’ve normalized pointing out what’s wrong with us – it’s socially acceptable.

Have you ever heard of confirmation bias? In essence, it’s when you seek for info that supports what you believe. So when it comes to yourself, if you’re looking for things that are wrong with you, you’re gonna find them – because that’s your objective, that’s your focus.

But I doubt you do that to your friends – point out what’s wrong with them, make them feel dumb when they fail an exam, discourage them from running for student council. No way, you don’t do that to your friends. Yet sometimes we do that to ourselves. So how about you try to be a better friend to yourself. Offer yourself compassion when you’re disappointed. Give yourself encouragement when you need some hyping. Celebrate your successes and be proud of yourself. Look in the mirror and find things you like. Some of you may not have friends or even family who do this for you, and that’s why you need to do this for yourself. Practice being there for yourself. Show up for yourself. And become better friends with yourself.

"Best Advice 2026-27 School Year" Poster Printable

To help you with this, I made a “Best Advice 2026-27 School Year” poster for you to print out, personalize, and post on your wall where you’ll see it, and remember it, practice it, and believe it -- that’s the important part.

CLICK PIC TO DOWNLOAD

Resources

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