How To Help Your Child Conquer School Anxiety
Father and son doing a homework assignment together.
Concrete Action Steps to Reduce Their Stress Levels
The start of school is usually an exciting time — but for many children, it’s an anxious and stressful time. Students at all grade levels can experience school anxiety that results in emotional distress, attendance problems, poor academic performance, and more. Let’s explore exactly what causes anxiety in schools and how it can be managed.
What is School Anxiety and Why Does it Matter?
School anxiety involves persistent worrying about being at or participating in school. Affected children might worry about making friends, finding a place to sit at lunch, meeting academic demands, and other school-related issues. Children can experience these symptoms weeks before school starts and/or before each school day. This condition is common among children who have other anxiety disorders.
Children who experience anxiety in schools often avoid going to school entirely, and many develop chronic attendance problems. This can take the form of skipping, asking to be picked up early, visiting the school nurse frequently, faking illnesses, and other avoidant behaviors.
How to Help a Child With Anxiety About School
In many cases, the most effective way to manage school anxiety is to uncover the root cause. School anxiety is most commonly caused by:
- Bullying
- Problems with specific friends/teachers or friend groups
- Academic pressures
Communicating regularly and encouragingly to your child plays a crucial role in discovering the cause of their anxiety. If their school anxiety persists and/or worsens, you can work with school staff members to help remedy the issue and provide critical support. For severe cases, professional help might be necessary.
Here are eight more valuable tips for dealing with anxiety in schools that you can implement today:
- Plan to do something exciting and fun one day a week or on the weekends.
Prearranged activities that your children want to partake in can give them something to look forward to, thus providing them positive energy throughout the week. - During dinner, establish a family conversation time.
If necessary, ask that all electronics be turned off, so you can have a mindful discussion. Here five icebreakers:- What was the (silliest, best, most difficult) part of your day?
- What was the most interesting fact you learned today?
- Did anyone say anything kind to you? What was it?
- Did anyone say something mean? Was it directed at you?
- Who was the last person you talked to at school? What did you talk about?
- Teach them about breathing techniques and practice with them.
One easy way to do so is to remind them to take a breath through the nose (count 1,2,3,4), hold four counts, and let out through the mouth (1,2,3,4). Mindful.org offers a three-minute meditation designed to reduce anxiety. - When your child brings their worry to the surface by verbalizing their concern or repeating a question several times, give them positive thoughts to counter their negative ones.
- Allot time for daily exercise. Thirty minutes before or after dinner is plenty of time for a neighborhood walk, bike ride, or yoga session.
- Focus on nutrition. According to the Cleveland Clinic, specific foods can help reduce anxiety. Try preparing dishes that incorporate one or more of these ingredients:
- Avocado
- Yogurt
- Spinach
- Salmon
- Bananas
- Lentils
- Eggs
- Make sure your child drinks plenty of water. Dehydration can trigger exhaustion and anxious feelings.
- Strive for your child to get at least eight hours of sleep per night.
Closing
If you notice your child is still struggling with school anxiety after implementing the steps above, they need to get help sooner rather than later. Trained Coleman Health Services crisis counselors are available 24/7 to help.
We also offer a diagnostic assessment for your child within our nine county footprint. To schedule a diagnostic assessment appointment, please call us at 1-877-796-3555.
“Please remember, anxiety counts on you not recognizing your symptoms. Before you know it, you’re overcome with a plethora of unpleasant and often uncontrollable symptoms that can leave you overwhelmed and defeated. A therapist can help you identify your symptoms so you recognize when your anxiety is starting and can apply effective coping mechanisms to lessen or extinguish it. Learn to take control of your anxiety before it takes control of you!” shared Darla Scott, LPCC-S, Director of Child & Adolescent Services with Coleman Health Services.