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A Parent's Guide: Helping Your Child Overcome Back-to-School Anxiety
By Melody Wright, LMFT
Do you remember how it felt when you started a new school year? The excitement and nervousness, or maybe even anxiety as you wondered about the new uncharted territory, hoping to make new friends, impress your teachers, and navigate the challenges of being a year older. As this school year started, maybe you’ve had some of those memories resurface as you witness your own child experiencing those same emotions.
Back-to-school anxiety is perfectly normal, and as a parent, you have the power to be your child’s anchor, guiding them through the feelings of uncertainty with love, understanding, and support. In this blog, we will discuss strategies to support your child through their emotions and foster a positive mindset for the rest of the school year.
Identifying Signs of Back-to-School Anxiety
Back-to-school anxiety is common among students. However, recognizing the signs of anxiety in children is crucial for providing timely support and understanding. Common signs of this type of anxiety can show itself in physical symptoms such as headaches, and stomachaches, or they might say they don’t feel well, especially when school-related discussions come up.
You might also notice behavioral changes such as increased clinginess, crying, or restlessness. Mood swings, irritability, and changes in sleep patterns can also be a sign that your child is experiencing some anxiety. However, some children may exhibit avoidance behaviors, such as resisting going to school or expressing a strong desire to stay home. Academic performance may also be affected. Your child might have their grades decline or they might become obsessively worried about their school work.
Therapist Tip: Being attentive to these signals you can provide the necessary support and reassurance to help children cope with their emotions and navigate the back-to-school transition.
Strategies for Supporting Your Child
Establish a Consistent Routine - For those with anxiety, knowing what comes next can provide a sense of stability and predictability. Create space for consistent meal times, study times, and family times. Your child might also need support with creating a routine around hygiene and self-care as well.
Encourage Expressive Arts & Journaling - Some kids have a difficult time finding the words to use to express how they are feeling. Expressive arts is a great way to release the emotions being felt through music or creating art. Journaling is a supportive tool for those who do not feel like speaking to someone about what they are feeling. Journaling provides a safe space to be fully vulnerable.
Foster a Growth Mindset - Encourage a growth mindset in your child by emphasizing the importance of learning, growth, and perseverance. Remind them that mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow and that it's okay not to have all the answers right away. This mindset shift can reduce the fear of failure and increase your child's resilience in the face of challenges.
Introduce Grounding Techniques -Teaching your child grounding techniques can support their emotional regulation for the rest of their life. Practice deep breathing, and meditation, and consider a grounding object that they can carry with them in their pocket to school.
Collaborate with a Therapist - Open communication is essential for supporting your child through their struggle, however, that doesn’t always come easy. Meeting regularly with a therapist will allow your child to engage in consistent opportunities to be vulnerable in an unbiased, non-judgmental space.
Final Thoughts
Supporting your child through their back-to-school anxiety requires patience, understanding, and empathy. By creating a nurturing environment at home and implementing some of the techniques above you can support your child in navigating these unknown territories. Remember that every child’s journey is unique to them, so approach this process with love, support, and flexibility.
Also, we want to acknowledge that this is challenging and complex for parents as well. Give yourself an empathetic and non-judgmental space as you journey through this side of parenting. If you are needing support as a parent or if your child is needing support, connect with our team. We have qualified therapists who are equipped with the tools you need to move forward on this journey. CLICK HERE to schedule your free phone consultation today.
Additional Resources
If you would like additional tools for supporting your child and yourself as a parent, check out the resources below.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility by Foster Cline and Jim Fay
Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent's Guide to Growing Wise Kids in the Digital Age by Julie Bogart
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From Panic to Peace: Effective Ways to Alleviate Anxiety When You're Feeling Overwhelmed
By Melody Wright, LMFT
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, many of us may be feeling overwhelmed with any remaining upcoming events as we head into the new year. Our overwhelming feelings, if left unattended, can turn into anxious thoughts and concerns that we will not have enough time to do all the tasks we said we would do (making a dish for the New Year Party at work, cleaning the house, making final plans for your business, etc.). If any of these worries resonate with you, we’d like to offer you some tips to help reduce your anxiety when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Write it down. When we’re overwhelmed, our thoughts can feel like they are going in circles in our head, which creates more feelings of stress and anxiety. If you are worried about something, or numerous things, write it down. Make a list of the things that are currently bothering you and prioritize what things you’d like to address first. You may also find things on your list that you can’t do much about. When this happens, give your mind permission to let those things go. Creating a list and prioritizing what you will do will help you feel a sense of control, which can help reduce the feeling of overwhelm.
Schedule a time to worry. If your thoughts come and go throughout the day and distract you from your current tasks, schedule a time to worry. You may notice that by the time you get to your scheduled “worry time” your worries may have improved.
Be mindful of your caffeine and alcohol intake. Both caffeine and alcohol can give you the energy or mood boost you need to get through an upcoming event, but they can also impact your anxiety levels. If you’re able to cut down on the amount of caffeine or alcohol that you consume, it may improve how you feel and decrease your anxiety levels.
Practice grounding exercises. Whether you prefer deep breathing or guided imagery, implementing a grounding exercise in the middle of feeling overwhelmed can help bring you back to a focused, calm state. This is especially true if you are about to head into a busy shopping mall or chaotic family gathering – grounding yourself before these events can help you walk in with a calm demeanor and zen state of mind.
Identify your triggers.You may notice that you consistently feel anxious or overwhelmed when you see certain people or places (ie. a family member or the doctor’s office). See if you’re able to identify who or what situations make you anxious. Consider if there is anything you can do about these triggers (limit time with a family member, have someone with you when you go to the doctor’s office, etc.)
Spend time with and in your community. Spending time with your friends can help you feel supported and improve your mood. Volunteering in your community can also help give you a sense of belonging.
Talk to someone you trust. Whether you choose to talk to a friend or your significant other, talking to someone you trust about your feelings may help ease your mental load. Talking to others can help give you a different perspective on what’s currently troubling you. They may even offer to help with some of the things on your to-do list.
Take a walk. Getting outside and moving your body helps release endorphins, which trigger positive feelings in your body.
Make time for rest. The average person needs about 7 hours of sleep a night to properly rest. Take a moment to see if you’re getting enough rest. If not, your lack of sleep may be contributing to your current feelings.
Redirect your focus. If practicing grounding exercises is not for you, doing other activities when feeling anxious may help you interrupt your anxious thoughts. Completing a household chore, watering your plants, or getting out to mail out a letter can help redirect your focus and get an item checked off your to-do list.
We hope these tips can help calm your mind and provide an opportunity to regulate any physical symptoms you may be experiencing as a result of anxiety.
If you’d like to learn more about anxiety, feel free to check out our previous blog posts where we discuss anxiety, anxious responses, and offer other strategies to address anxious thoughts. For additional support, click here to connect to one of our experienced therapists.
The Foggy Mind and Anxious Thoughts: Exploring How Anxiety Impacts Brain Fog
By Melody Wright, LMFT
As a result of the Covid pandemic, and its impact on our day-to-day lives, many of us have been experiencing increased levels of stress over the last couple of years. These heightened stress levels may have impacted or exacerbated areas of our lives related to our physical and mental health. For individuals that experience anxiety, high levels of stress can make anxiety levels worse. This increase in stress and overall levels of anxiety can affect our ability to focus, or create “brain fog.”
What is Brain Fog?
“Brain Fog” is a term used to describe a lack of mental clarity, the inability to focus, feeling confused, or simply feeling “scatter-brained.” Brain fog can make it difficult to complete tasks that you previously may not have had any issues completing. It can also present itself as forgetfulness, or being easily distracted. Other characteristics of brain fog can include feeling fatigued, or having a hard time organizing thoughts or activities.
Why does my brain feel foggy when I am anxious?
Anxiety taps into our mental capacity. If a person is experiencing an increase in anxious thoughts and taps into their mental resources at a higher rate than usual, this can have an impact on their overall thought process. A high impact on a person’s thought process is what can create feelings of brain fog. The stressors, anxiety levels, and mental resources can vary from person to person, and so can their resulting levels of brain fog.
How can I “clear out” my brain fog?
Since brain fog can be directly related to anxiety, it is important to address the “root cause” of the brain fog. Treatment for anxiety is not a “one size fits all” – different individuals have different needs and it’s important to explore options in order to see what works best for you. With that said, below are some options to help address the brain fog that comes as a result of anxious thoughts:
Incorporate mindfulness practices into your day. This can include taking a walk when you feel overwhelmed with work, or playing nature sounds on your phone when you’re doing an activity that is causing you stress.
Keep a notebook or planner handy in order to write down to-do items. This can help address the sense of forgetfulness that you may experience as a result of brain fog.
Whenever possible, reassess your current timelines or activities with time constraints and ask for extensions or accommodations. Whether it’s asking for an extension on a report, or requesting an accommodation for a longer test-taking period, making adjustments to activities that cause high levels of stress can help alleviate stress and reduce anxiety levels. These activities also require a higher level of focus, so an extended timeline can help give you that extra time you need to think.
Book an appointment with a therapist. If you’re having some trouble implementing strategies to help your anxiety and resulting brain fog, you can always tap into outside support. A therapist can help you implement coping mechanisms that may be a better fit for you and your day-to-day routine and responsibilities.
While the tips above may be helpful to some of our readers, we encourage you to tweak them and make them your own so they can best support you and your current lifestyle. If you find yourself needing additional support, but have not taken steps to find and see a therapist, we encourage you to book a phone consultation today at Life by Design. Life by Design offers therapeutic services with qualified professionals that can give you the tools you need to help address anxiety and brain fog. Book a phone consultation today to get you connected to additional support.
Reclaiming Balance: Tools and Techniques to Conquer Overwhelming Moments
by Melody Wright, LMFT
2021 has presented us with many challenges at an individual, national, and global level. These challenges have created higher levels of stress in us and those around us. Many people have reported feeling high levels of stress due to being affected by COVID, being impacted by the racial and political tension within our country, and being exposed to higher rates of crime. These stressors may have also led to feelings of fear, frustration, anger, and overall feeling inundated by what is going on in the world around us. No matter what challenges or stressors you’ve faced this last year, we want to reassure you that it is okay not to be okay.
As you look back at the events that took place over this last year, it is important to notice how these events have impacted your physical, emotional, and mental health. When we give ourselves permission to acknowledge that we are not okay or that something does not feel right, we can start the journey of healing by identifying the parts in us that need some extra care and attention. You may also find comfort in knowing that there are many others at this moment that are feeling the same way you are. It may also help you to know that there are strategies to help you cope when you are feeling overstressed or overwhelmed.
At this point in time, you may be feeling like things are not going the way you hoped they would or that they are not getting better as fast as you’d hoped. That’s okay.
While it may not feel like things are going well for you right now, there are strategies you can implement today to help you feel a little less overwhelmed and more hopeful about current events:
Eat, sleep, repeat. This sounds easy in theory, but many people sacrifice sleep and regular meals when they feel stressed or overwhelmed. Ironically, not eating or sleeping well will contribute to higher stress levels or irritability. Getting enough sleep and eating well will help you with your focus and overall mood.
Pick-up or restart your old hobbies. It is important to make time for activities that create moments of fun and relaxation. If it’s been a while since your last nature hike, or have been meaning to read a new book, adding just a few minutes to your day for a hobby can help give you some much needed me-time for things that make you happy.
Create a to-do list. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks and work well with visual reminders, putting together a to-do list may help you organize your thoughts. You may find yourself feeling a bit more at ease once you can visualize all the things that need to be done. The physical act of getting the thoughts out of your mind and onto paper may also provide a sense of relief. Bonus points to you if you list items in order of priority so you can clearly identify what needs to get done first.
Tidy up. The last thing you want to do sometimes is add another item to your to-do list. With that said, cleaning can help give you a break from your overwhelming thoughts AND help you declutter your physical space. The decluttering of your physical space can help you feel mentally decluttered as well.
Whether you’re going through a difficult time in your life or are feeling emotionally exhausted due to this year’s events, know that you are among many who are experiencing and feeling the same things you are. You may not be okay right now, but you will be. Being able to feel okay again sometimes means tapping into your support system. Your support system can help give you an outside perspective or coping strategies based on your current life circumstances. Remember that a therapist can be part of that much-needed support system.
For more information, reach out to us on getting connected to a member of our team.
