5 Strategies to Combat Back to School Anxiety: COVID Edition
The start of the school year is fast approaching and with it comes a whole lot of uncertainty. There’s always some amount of uncertainty every fall, but this new school year is unlike any we’ve ever seen. Even though schools have started to nail down plans and we know a little bit more about what to expect, there’s still so much we don’t know. Will everyone be switched over to distance learning if the pandemic worsens? When will extracurriculars resume, if at all? And of course, the big looming question over everyone’s heads: will my family get sick? We do not and cannot have answers to any of these questions, and sitting with this feeling of uncertainty is hard to do. One way to ease your stress (and your kiddo’s stress) about the new school year is to focus on what you do have control over rather than what you don’t.
Back to school shopping
If you’re doing distance learning, your teen or child may not need a ton of supplies since they won’t be carrying them around all day. But new school supplies mark a fresh start and feel exciting for a lot of us. If your budget allows for it, let them pick out new highlighters and post-it notes to add some normalcy and fun to the new year. If your kiddo is going back to school, you will probably be getting fresh school supplies anyways, but consider adding a new mask or two to the shopping list. For most students it will be required, and having one they are a bit more excited about adds a little more joy to that first day.
2. Daily schedule
Schedules give us a sense of order and planning, and help us know what to expect. Your child’s school has likely provided a daily and/or weekly schedule already. Use this to create a personalized schedule for your child in an easy to read format. Together with your child, plan out this schedule, and include non-school items like breakfast, chores, family game time, or whatever is relevant to your family. When you create this personalized schedule, allow your kiddo to decorate it however they like - markers, stickers, washi tape, googly eyes, printed off pictures of their favorite TV show. When the masterpiece is complete, post it where it will be easy to access. For distance learning students, post it near their workspace (see next paragraph). For in school students, post it on the fridge or in their room, or consider making a pocket-sized one that they can carry with them. This not only helps them stay organized but it’s another happy touch in a potentially stressful environment.
3. Workspace
This tip is more for distance learning kiddos, but it can also be helpful for in-person schooling: Set up a dedicated workspace. A lot of kids finished last year working at dining room tables or on their beds, which is understandable given the chaos of the whole situation. Now that there’s a little more time to plan, and we know this is a longer term situation than we thought back in the spring, it’s a great idea to set up a dedicated workspace for your child. This helps kids in a number of ways. It makes starting the school day easier because everything is ready to go and they don’t have to clear off a space, find their laptop, find their charger, find their books, etc. Also, while a lot of middleschoolers and teens like to work on their bed, it is inadvisable because it can often lead to a poorer quality of sleep. (The brain associates the bed with schoolwork and makes it harder for it to turn off for the night). The workspace doesn’t have to be a big area, even a folding tray table in a corner of the room works. Help your teen or child to organize their supplies (including helpful fidgets), post their schedule, and maybe even put up a poster or picture that makes them smile. We’re going for fun and focused!
4. Try for a calm & positive morning that first day
Okay I know this is easier said than done. In an ideal world we would all wake up with the sun without alarm clocks, eat nutritious breakfasts together, and start our day with a positive attitude. But our world is not ideal, and mornings are often rushed and stressful. If possible, try to go the extra mile to make that first school morning a calm and positive one. Lay out clothes the night before, have their favorite cereal on hand for breakfast, get a good night’s sleep, and gently encourage a positive attitude about the new school year.
5. Arm them with coping skills
The beginning of the school year can be really anxiety provoking for kids and teens alike. We can do a lot to help them prepare and reduce the anxiety overall, but even with a perfectly organized and planned start to the school year, there will be varying levels of worry for each kid. If your teen or child is already prone to worry, help them learn to manage their anxious feelings with coping strategies. If they already know that a particular breathing exercise helps them, practice it a few times and remind them to use it. If they’ve had success with a grounding activity, write it out for them and post it in their workspace to help them remember. If they don’t have any established ways to help them feel better, try some of the coping skills I’ve posted on Instagram or explore the idea of therapy. Therapy can help them navigate their feelings, learn which coping skills work for them, and how to use them properly. Contact me for a free consultation to determine if therapy might be a good fit for your child or teen.