Last Tuesday was the first day of school in my area. We had an awesome summer full of fun, family, travel and friends! That would be a tough one to transition from normally, but this year both of my kids were going into new schools. If you’ve read this blog before, then you can probably assume that this caused plenty of anticipatory anxiety in my house.

Last week, as we were navigating first-day jitters, endless forms, and figuring out new drop-off times, my husband and I reminded the kids (and ourselves):

You don’t have to do the whole school year today. You only have to do today.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the big picture:

• The homework and projects that will eventually be assigned
• The tests that will need to be studied for
• The extracurricular activities and school events that fill the calendar

But when we focus on everything all at once, it feels overwhelming before we even begin. That’s true for our kids, and it’s true for us as parents. We’ve been working on breaking it down into manageable pieces. Today we wake up, we eat breakfast, we get to school, we do our best. That’s it. Tomorrow we’ll do it again. One day at a time.

As I write this, the Sunday Scaries are creeping in. If you deal with that too (as an adult or child), know that you’re not alone. Keep taking everything one day at a time. Look for the small victories, the things to celebrate and the mishaps to learn from.

We don’t have to do all the days, we just have to do today.