Pencils, paper and coping skills
The anxious child’s back-to-school supply list.
As kids start back to school, you may start to feel tensions rising in your household from the backto-school jitters you or your child may be experiencing.
“It’s a very common scenario for someone to be anxious at the start of school,” says Jaclyn Scanlan, LISW-S, a therapist at Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center.
Anxiety can manifest in all kinds of ways for students preparing to go back to class. While this reaction is normal, there are many ways you can help soothe your child.
Pay proper attention
The most important thing you can do for your anxious child is to listen to them and observe their behavior.
“We need to remember what anxiety can look like,” Scanlan says. “It can look like tantrums in younger kids who are scared and don’t always have ways to put their emotions into words.”
Talking with your child and helping them express their emotions is a great first step to helping them cope with their anxiety.
Organization is important for anyone feeling overwhelmed and anxious, so helping your child feel in control in that way can help a lot.
“Routines are huge,” Scanlan says. “Whether its stopping screen time at a certain time or making sure your kids have time to unwind, you need to be consistent.”
Big picture solutions
If routines and preparedness aren’t quite getting to the root of the problem, step back and look at the bigger picture.
Are your kids involved in too much? Or do they not have enough to do? Re-evaluating all their activities, not just what’s going on at school, can be another solution.
“If they feel trapped, sitting in a certain part of the classroom or near the door may help,” Scanlan says. “Deep breathing at school is another solution. It’s really about listening to your kid’s worries and seeing what can realistically be done.”
Pain points
Some of your child’s fear triggers may actually manifest in stomachaches, headaches, heart pounding or sweating, which can make them believe they’re sick.
If this happens, try to see if the physical symptoms are connected to any potential fears, such as a test that day or something that happened at school the day prior.
“Follow up with your pediatrician if you’re concerned about recurring stomachaches,” Scanlan says. “A lot of times, they’ll be able to rule out health issues. From there, you can follow up with a therapist if basic coping skills aren’t working.”
The bottom line
The most important step is to make your child feel empowered by hearing them out but also helping them think of a way they can work through it.
“If you know it’s within their abilities, help them find ways to be successful,” Scanlan advises.