‘Be open to talking about it:’ 4 tips for managing back-to-school-anxiety
Back-to-school season brings new classes, new milestones, and, for some students, renewed feelings of anxiety.
Dr. Selena Magalotti with Akron Children’s Hospital wants students and parents to know they’re not alone in feeling back-to-school anxiety.
“Back-to-school anxiety is something that a lot of kids struggle, and sometimes it can be dismissed, but it really is a big struggle for kids,” said Dr. Magalotti. “We can help to support them and find a positive outlook on things, try to help them to also see the positive aspects of school, not all the scary things, right?”
Dr. Magalotti said back-to-school anxiety symptoms can start for students of any age about to make significant transitions, such as entering middle and high school or going to a new school.
“Kids can have back-to-school anxiety, even without having an underlying anxiety disorder, and lots of kids can struggle with back-to-school anxiety in addition to an underlying anxiety disorder. Kids can show avoidance, get distressed, irritable, have physical struggles, whether that’s like stomach upset, headache, mood changes and just get very distressed,” said Dr. Magalotti.
How can parents help with back-to-school anxiety?
Akron Children’s Hospital has several tips for managing back-to-school anxiety.
Getting good sleep
“A bedtime routine and getting good sleep are just so tremendously important for all people, and especially in kids,” said Dr. Magalotti. When kids don’t sleep well, everything the next day is much more complicated. Sleep is also the time that we consolidate and form our memories. It helps our body restore. It helps us function to the best of our abilities the next day and manage our emotions during the day.”
Transitioning from summer bedtime to school bedtime can be a difficult adjustment, according to Dr. Magalotti.
She recommends getting into bedtime sooner each night, ahead of the first day of school.
“Maybe in the month before school starts, let’s start moving up bedtime by la half hour every few days. Have a calming nighttime routine, talk about why sleep is important,” she said. “It can be great if families are able to model good sleep and show it’s important for all of us to get good sleep.”
Normalize anxiety at home
Doctors recommend that parents let their children know it’s normal to feel nervous.
“Be open to talking about it, about how adults struggle with these things,” said Dr. Magalotti. “Lots of kids are stressed about returning to school. But how can we move past that? The really important thing is to help support kids in transitioning back to school that we’re not going to avoid this, that we are going to kind of face this head-on with lots of support.”
Familiarize them with the environment
Students will feel more comfortable if they are familiar with the new environment, like practicing the route to the bus stop or visiting the classrooms to meet their new teachers.
“Schools really want kids to succeed, and so if a kid’s really struggling or nervous, sometimes schools will have kids come in early and the teachers, or see the environment, or even as they transition back to school, there can be kind of plans put in place to be able to help support kids with those things.”
Positive support
Doctors recommend parents praise their kids when they come home and ask about their day.
Positive reinforcement from parents and peers is a huge motivator.
“People in general like to have control of their world around them. That helps us feel comfortable in our world, and as we start to feel like we don’t have as much control, that’s when we can start to see some of those nervous feelings coming out. Providers want them to know that we are honored to be able to help kids through these things,” said Dr. Magalotti.
Consult your pediatrician for more information about helping your child deal with school anxiety.
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