Beating the school blues

Help your children beat the back-to-school blues with tips from psychotherapist Ari Fox:

Validate your child’s feelings. Let them know it’s OK to be anxious, sad, angry, etc., and that you are there for them if they want to talk.

Help balance school blues with positive thinking. Is there a club your child could get excited about? Trips? School vacations? Who is she excited to see?

Encourage your child to adjust the sleep schedule as school approaches, so it is not as difficult to get up early in September.

Set up play dates with school friends for younger children and encourage older children to hang out with friends.

Remind your child everyone has strengths and weaknesses and while school can be frustrating, challenging, boring and overwhelming at times, you believe in their ability to succeed.

Tips for parents:

Explore both positives and negatives of the previous year with your child. What worked and what could be better? Are there ways to make life easier for both of you so that there is less contention at home?

Set reasonable expectations and goals with your child.

Praise the process, not just the outcomes.

Practice self-care. Think about something aside from school to look forward to that you can enjoy this year — going out more often with friends or significant other, engaging in a hobby, etc.

Don’t be hard on yourself. Just as your child is doing his or her best to manage the multiple pressures of school life, you can only do your best.