Coping with Back to School Anxiety

We know first hand that transitioning back to school during an ongoing pandemic following a year of remote learning can be quite challenging for children and their caregivers in our community. Coping with new pandemic safety regulations also poses additional stress, particularly on families with children who are struggling with emotional and behavioural issues.

Stressed kids may show physical symptoms, like headaches, upset stomachs, disrupted sleep and nightmares. Additional examples are bed-wetting, decreased or increased appetite and avoiding activities by pretending to be sick. These may also involve mood swings, clinginess, anger, aggression, and overreaction to minor incidents, nail-biting or thumb-sucking.

We may be worried about our kids’ health and wellbeing and find it hard seeing them struggle. We may even feel guilty, blaming ourselves as the cause of their suffering and doubt our parenting capabilities.

Suppressing or ignoring our emotions can be damaging to our mental health. Instead, we need to allow ourselves to feel sadness, frustration, helplessness or anger, acknowledge that they will pass, and find healthy ways of coping with stress. It is also pivotal that we remind ourselves that we are living in extraordinary times. Therefore, we benefit from practising self-compassion and recognizing that having a struggling child doesn’t make us bad parents.

Seeking help and support from other parents with similar experiences or mental health professionals can help us better manage stress and challenging parenting situations. Talking through our feelings with someone we trust, eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep will aid the preservation of our physical and mental health.

Children and young people find it helpful to express their feelings and receive validation to process their emotions. Asking ourselves: “What does my child need right now?” will help us focus and provide them with the kind of help that they require at the moment. It is beneficial to address our kids’ specific worries and concerns in an age-appropriate manner and remind them that it is okay to seek help, whether at home or school.

By taking care of our psychological and physical health, we become better parents and caregivers to our kids.

Content contributed by: T.W, MEd Candidate and Therapist in Training.