5 rituals to reclaim that back-to-school buzz

Meal prep. Refresh your wardrobe. Make a new friend. You don't have to be headed to a classroom to harness the back-to-school buzz. In this episode of Life Kit, we bring you tactics and tips that will help you break old habits or start new ones — and reclaim the excitement of a new school year. Show notes: How to use avocados (or onions) to dye clothes https://www.npr.org/2021/05/16/995528895/how-to-use-avocados-or-onions-to-dye-clothes?renderPlatform=nprone_ios&unified=true Play Styles Quiz https://playstyles.nifplay.org/quiz from the National Institute for Play Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit https://www.instagram.com/nprlifekit/?hl=en Sign up for our newsletter here. https://www.npr.org/newsletter/life-kit Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected] mailto:[email protected] Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening and convenient playlists of popular help topics like personal finance, getting healthy, and more. Learn more at plus.npr.org http://plus.npr.org/. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This week on Up First, the midterms, less than 15 days away. President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and former President Obama, all crisscrossing the country, rallying voters in key races from Michigan to Georgia to North Carolina. Join us every morning as we guide you through the home stretch of this election season. Up First on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

• 0:24Marielle Segarra?

  Hey, it's Marielle Segarra. You're listening to Life Kit from NPR. Remember how exciting it was to start a new school year? I used to love running my fingertips along the cover of a fresh marble notebook and picking out my outfit for the first day of school. There's something buzzy about this time of year. Even if you're not in school anymore, it's a chance at a fresh start, a time to ditch old habits, try a new extracurricular, settle into a routine, or even completely reinvent yourself. On this episode of Life Kit, how to harness that energy with five back-to-school rituals reimagined for your adult life. Takeaway one, pack a lunch. Y'all, takeout has gotten so expensive.

• 1:09Marielle Segarra?

  And most of the time, in my experience, it doesn't taste very good, and it's not healthy either. So why not get in the habit of bringing your lunch? Now, if you're thinking, I don't have time to make a sandwich every morning, meal prepping is for you. Kevin Curry is the founder of Fit Men Cook. Twice a week, he'll spend 45 minutes cooking five components to mix and match over the next few days, like chickpeas, chicken, jasmine rice, roasted vegetables, and sauteed greens.

• 1:39Speaker 02

  And with those five foods that I prepped, I made about 10 different meal combinations. Because one day, I was like, you know what? I think I want chicken, rice, and greens. Boom. Another day, I think I want the chickpeas, roasted veggies, and the greens, and maybe a little bit of rice. Mix everything together.

• 1:54Marielle Segarra?

  Another tip is to make a sauce for the week, something packed with flavor that you can toss on lots of different things, grain bowls, sandwiches, salads. One thing I like to do is buy a handful of fresh herbs, maybe that's basil this week, or dill, or parsley, and then make a sauce or a dressing from that. Okay, while you're making your lunch, why not jazz it up a little bit? Get cookie cutters and cut your fruits and veggies into cute shapes, or write yourself a note. Sully Jessica Wu is a mom and author of the cookbook, Let's Make Some Lunch. Here's what she says makes a good lunchbox note.

• 2:29Speaker 03

  I like to keep it relevant to what we're going through. Today, my daughter is having a MAPS test for the beginning of the year, where they see what level your child is at in the core classes. So for that, you know, I always just write like, hey, I know you'll do great in your MAPS testing, just try your best, stuff like that. And then with song lyrics, I just write like cute song lyrics about love, or succeeding, or being determined, anything like that. Quotes from movies that we're currently loving. I just kind of try to find inspiration in everything that we're doing, and what's relevant, and what they're into.

• 3:12Marielle Segarra?

  So how about you? Got a big meeting at work next week? Write yourself a note of encouragement. Or are you so excited about the transition to sweater weather? Remind yourself to take breaks and go outside. You could also draw yourself a little doodle. And of course, if you have a partner or you live with someone, you can do this for each other. Okay, we've packed our cute little lunches. Takeaway two, plan your fall outfits. September is a great time to think about how your personal style has changed since you put away your cold weather clothes, and what you're excited to wear now. Start by trying everything you have on and asking yourself, do I still like this shirt or dress or whatever? Do I feel good in it?

• 3:55Marielle Segarra?

  If the answer is absolutely not, that's easy, it goes in the donate pile. If the answer is, I don't know, I like it, but it just doesn't fit right, you might be able to alter it. Sophie Strauss is a stylist in Los Angeles.

• 4:10Speaker 04

  You know, I'll often look, where is somebody sort of adjusting the garment? Right? Are they fussing with it at the hem, at the sleeve, at the neckline? Do they keep lifting it up? Go, oh, well, hmm, I see you're pulling at the hemline. Okay, I wonder if we got that hemmed like two inches, and we'll roll up the bottom. Do you like that better? Oh, yeah. Okay, great. What if we tuck it in if we don't hem it? What if we tuck it into pants that hit around that spot? Oh, I like that better, too. Great.

• 4:38Marielle Segarra?

  Another fun way to alter your clothes is to dye them. And did you know you can actually do that with pieces of plants, like avocado pits and onion skins? Life Kit has a whole guide on this. We'll link to it in the show notes. Now, back-to-school season wouldn't be complete without some fresh fits. Before you go shopping, though, look around for inspiration. Notice when you see someone wearing an outfit you like on the street or in a TV show. You can also look through magazines, current or vintage, and designer archives, and take note of any common threads. Ruby Redstone is a fashion historian and writer.

• 5:14Speaker 05

  Whether you're like, oh, I'm loving really feminine floaty slip dresses weighed down by heavy boots, or I'm loving seeing things that are inspired by men's suiting. And then finding a way to do that that's within your budget, whether that's going to a bunch of thrift stores and thrifting slip dresses, or if that's going to a department store, trying on a bunch of options, and investing in one beautiful piece that you know you're going to be able to rewear.

• 5:41Marielle Segarra?

  She mentioned thrifting. It is such a good way to try out new styles. And one tip on that front is to know your measurements. Mary Jacobs is a secondhand stylist. She puts together looks for people with thrifted clothes. And she says you want to measure your chest and your hips ahead of time, and then bring a tape measure with you to the store. That way, you don't have to try on as many clothes.

• 6:02Speaker 06

  So you definitely want your chest measurement. You'll go around the largest part of your chest, and you'll take that measurement, and you'll divide it in two, and then you'll measure across armpit to armpit on whatever top.

• 6:14Marielle Segarra?

  And if armpit to armpit is at least half the measurement you took at home?

• 6:17Speaker 06

  It should fit.

• 6:18Marielle Segarra?

  Same thing goes for your hips. Wrap the tape measure around the widest part, divide that number in two, and compare it to the front or backside of a dress or pants. Lastly, when you're shopping, it helps to have a set of rules about what items you will and won't buy. That tip comes from Asia Jackson, who makes videos on YouTube about personal style.

• 6:39Speaker 07

  One of my rules is that I don't buy ballet flats. They're uncomfortable. Every single time that I've purchased them, I hated them, and I never wore them again. So even if I see a really nice outfit on Pinterest, and the girl is wearing ballet flats, I'm not going to go out and buy ballet flats, because I've known that they just don't work for me.

• 7:01Marielle Segarra?

  On my don't buy list, blazers. I buy them, and then I never actually wear them. Of course, back to school is not just about lunches and outfits. We were there to learn. So after the break, we dive into the stacks.

• 7:18Speaker 04

  Stay tuned for the following announcements and messages from our sponsors. This election season, let the NPR Politics podcast save your time and your sanity. We'll help you understand key races, which polls you can safely ignore, and what might happen if power shifts in Congress. Our short daily episodes come out every afternoon, so you can spend less time scrolling through each chaotic news cycle. Make NPR Politics your hub for midterm election coverage. Follow our podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. It's election season, which is an easy season to doom scroll, but it can be a hard season in which to find valuable information. NPR can be your source.

• 7:55Speaker 07

  We're a nonprofit that relies on your support, which means we can act and report in your interest. And with NPR Plus, you can hear dozens of NPR podcasts sponsor-free, all while powering our independent newsroom. Sign up today at plus.npr.org. Hi there, I'm Brittany Luce. And not to brag, but I host a really fabulous podcast. It's called It's Been a Minute. I love making it, and I think you'll love listening to it. Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of listeners have been tuning in. And I got to say, if you haven't yet, you're missing out. Listen to the It's Been a Minute podcast from NPR today.

• 8:35Marielle Segarra?

  All right, takeaway three. If you miss learning new things, read some more books. Your first step here is to find books that you think you could love. Because there's no summer reading list that you have to get through, right? You're not going to be graded on this. You're reading because you want to. Tracy Thomas hosts the book podcast, The Stacks, and she says, go to a library or a bookstore and wander around.

• 8:58Speaker 07

  And talk to the booksellers or the librarians. I mean, booksellers and librarians are book matchmakers and sort of magicians. You can go in and say, I read this, and this, and this, and I loved those three, but I also read this other book that I hated, and I'm in the mood for something that feels like, you know, a long drive on Christmas Eve. And they'll be like, oh, here you go. And they always come up with something.

• 9:22Marielle Segarra?

  And here's her strategy for that walkabout. You might be surprised to hear she actually thinks it's fine to judge a book by its cover.

• 9:29Speaker 07

  I like to look and see what's on the tables in the front, because that usually is something that's new and exciting to either the world at large, or the booksellers in that specific.

• 9:40Speaker 04

  Bookstores get to decide what they stock. So they're going to stock things that they think will sell or that they think are really good or interesting for their community. If the bookstore that I go into has books that face out on the shelves, I like to see which books they've sort of picked to face out. And I'm also just kind of looking around to see what jumps out at me.

• 10:03Marielle Segarra?

  Once you have some books in hand, don't wait for that perfect distraction-free moment to crack them open. This tip comes from Kevin Nguyen, author of the novels My Documents and New Waves. He says to look for smaller chances to read throughout the day. Read when you're early to school pickup or when you're waiting for your clothes to be done at the laundromat. And if you commute to work, well, that's a gimme. You're driving to work. It's audiobook time. You get on the subway. It's time to like, open the book. I'm not going to play video games on my phone or listen to a podcast. It's really easy to have that kind of discipline because it's sort of like a sequestered part of your day where you decide, I'm doing this thing at this time. Also, Tracy says if you find yourself constantly getting distracted

• 10:48Marielle Segarra?

  or rolling your eyes or falling asleep when you're reading a particular book, put it down. There's no need to push through if you aren't enjoying it.

• 10:56Speaker 04

  Save yourself. There are too many books in the world to read books you do not like. That is called cultivating taste.

• 11:05Marielle Segarra?

  Did you hear that? Bell's ringing. Time for recess. I loved the make-believe we did during recess when we'd pretend we were teachers or ship captains or that we were doing battle with fire-breathing dragons. Or, you know, we'd just play tag. Takeaway four, if you miss horsing around at recess, bring some of that energy into your adult life. Play more, especially physical play. Now, if you aren't sure what kind of play you like, you can ask yourself, how did I like to play as a kid? Here's play coach Jeff Harry. Your kid self knows what makes you happier. Kid self knows what makes you fulfilled and satisfied. So for instance, were you super into Legos or finger painting,

• 11:51Marielle Segarra?

  catching fireflies, seeing how far you could catapult yourself off the swing set? For me, it was Barbies. I loved to dress them up and make them fight or kiss. However you played, think about why you loved it. Is it that you liked telling stories or moving your body, competing, making people laugh, building things? How might you embrace those as an adult? And you can actually take a quiz to figure out your play style. It's based on thousands of personal play histories collected by psychologist Stuart Brown and the National Institute for Play. We'll have a link in the show notes. Stuart studied play for decades, and he says another way to figure out your kind of play is to think about what makes you feel free. Was there a moment?

• 12:35Marielle Segarra?

  Was there a circumstance? Was there a situation that allowed you to really feel like you were yourself, whether you were four years old or 40? I always felt free when I was on the swing set and when I was singing or dancing. So I do those things now whenever I get a chance, even if I'm just, you know, singing in the car.

• 12:56Marielle Segarra?

  All right, on that note, it's time to make some friends because duck, duck, goose is hard to play alone. Takeaway five, make new friends and keep the old. I love the idea that kids just go up to each other and say hi. They share their toys or their snacks, and suddenly they've got a new friend. What if we did that? I mean, it was a bit easier when we were in school because we saw these other kids every day. On that note, Marissa Franco, author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make and Keep Friends, says it helps to join an activity that repeats.

• 13:31Speaker 06

  So don't, don't go to a networking event. Go to maybe a regular professional development group because you're going to see people over time. Then you capitalize on something called the mere exposure effect, our unconscious tendency to like people simply because they're familiar to us. You can expect that once you first meet new people, it's going to be uncomfortable. So don't assume if we don't connect in the first meeting, I shouldn't keep going to this book club because it's too awkward. No, right? That's just a part of the process.

• 13:59Marielle Segarra?

  She also wants you to assume people like you until told otherwise.

• 14:04Speaker 06

  According to research on a phenomenon called the liking gap, when strangers interact, they underestimate how liked they are by the other person. And the more self-critical we are, the more pronounced this underestimation is. So reminding yourself that even if you think people might reject you, they're actually a lot less likely to reject you than you think they are. And then I would say, shoot your shot, which just looks like, hey, it's been so great to talk to you. I'd love to connect further. Do you mind if we exchange contact information and reach out?

• 14:32Marielle Segarra?

  It sounds simple, but when you meet someone you like, ask them to hang out and do it soon. Here's Kat Velos, author of the book, We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships.

• 14:43Speaker 06

  A common mistake that people make when they're trying to get together with a new acquaintance or build a new friendship is they wait too long to see that new acquaintance again. And in that time, the spark can fizzle out.

• 14:54Marielle Segarra?

  And don't just say, hey, we should hang out sometime. Be specific. Like if you met playing softball, invite them to the batting cages the next week.

• 15:02Speaker 06

  Because that we should hang out sometime, sometime is a vague sense in the future. And this is part of why, you know, my book is called We Should Get Together because everyone says that. But it's like, no, literally, we really need to get together. Don't just say that as a substitute for it was nice to meet you. Say it if you really mean it and then follow through on it.

• 15:22Marielle Segarra?

  The other thing you can do to bring back that carefree spirit of friendship. Remember having sleepovers in elementary school? Invite one of your close friends to stay at your house for a night. You can order pizza, braid each other's hair, play video games, stay up way too late and tell each other ghost stories. Bonus points if they're true. All right, students, it's time for a recap. Five activities to try this September. Pack your lunch, plan your outfits, read more books, plan your own recess and make some new friends. Yes, it is hard to put yourself out there. But remember, that was what made back to school so exciting. It wasn't just the new shoes or the new notebook.

• 16:05Marielle Segarra?

  It was the other people that were going to see those things, to see you in a new light after a long summer.

• 16:13Marielle Segarra?

  That's our show. Before we head out, if you found something useful in today's episode, there's probably somebody else in your life who would too. Why not hit that share button and send them this episode now? This episode of Life Kit was produced by Claire Marie Schneider. It was edited by Brent Bachman. Our digital editor is Malika Garib and our visuals editor is CJ Riegelon. Megan Cain is our senior supervising editor and Lauren Gonzalez is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Tagel, Margaret Serino and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes from Tiffany Vera Castro and Kwesi Lee. I'm Marielle Sagara. Thanks for listening.

• 16:55Speaker 05

  Stay tuned for the following announcements and messages from our sponsors. This message comes from Thumbtack. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin? Or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top-rated pros. See price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download today. This message comes from iXL. iXL provides personalized learning and powerful insights that help teachers boost achievement and understand student progress in real time. Learn more at ixl.com/npr.