We never expected back-to-school anxiety to be commonplace in the spring, but nothing should come as a surprise to us after the last fourteen months. After a full year of virtual learning, it’s only natural that some students have displayed feelings of anxiousness regarding the partial return to in-person learning. These three tips will hopefully help make that transition a little bit smoother for your returning learner.
Discuss the Return with Your Child
If your child is displaying signs of back-to-school anxiety, it’s possible that discussing their fears and anxieties will help alleviate them. Likewise, we can often find psychological relief when we are free to express our true feelings regarding an anxiety-provoking stimulus.
Overcome Avoidance Techniques
When students feel anxious, they tend to use avoidance tactics like avoiding eye contact, not participating in class and even not attending school altogether. While these tactics may seem like an effective way to cope with anxiety at the time, they usually just ramp the symptoms up even further. With that in mind, we should encourage our children to shed such tactics by making small, gradual steps. For example, even starting a conversation with a known friend is a great way to get back into the social rhythm they developed before the shutdown took place.
Structured Routine
It’s quite likely that your child’s routine will need a few alterations to get back into the groove of going to school each day. However, a healthy diet and sleep schedule alone can significantly reduce irritability and stress during this period of uncertainty. Additionally, helping your child complete morning tasks (like picking tomorrow’s outfit) the night before a school day can help them have a stress-free morning as they readjust to their new routine.
Overcome Back-to-School Anxiety with Reflect Neuropsychology
Reflect Neuropsychology is a leading neuropsychology firm in Southern California, specializing in counseling, therapy and neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents and adults. We also can address your medicolegal needs and provide expert witness testimony, legal examination of medical records, as well as independent medical examinations for capacity assessments and more. As a highly specialized practice, we can focus on evidence-based, personally tailored treatment and evaluation. To learn more about our services and schedule an appointment, visit us online or call us at (818) 324-3800.
