“Your only limit is you. Be brave and fearless.”
“It’s not about being fearless, it’s about acting in spite of fear.”
It’s that time of year again, a new school year.
Do you suffer from school anxiety with everything we all have encountered the last few years?
Sending the kids back to school can come with a lot.
Back to school preparation for us is usually filled with school shopping for new clothes, excitement on what they will wear on the first day of school, talking about how they will make new friends, what to do if someone is not nice to you and in our household sports schedules and whether our littlest should sit at an allergy table or not.
Every school year since the beginning of the pandemic seems to trend differently.
We worry and are worrying more than ever before, at least I am.
We’re finding ourselves unsure what steps to take.
Do we mask our kids even if the mask mandate is lifted?
Maybe I should homeschool, I mean I then will know my child will be safe, away from shootings, bullying and illness, RIGHT?
Cons; I am segregating them, taking them away from socialization, making new friends, I won’t be able to work as much.
Am I really teaching material?
One thing I know is, this fall there will be challenges that will need to be faced out of the norm.
If the thought of sending your child back to school causes you fear and stress, what can we do to help put that at ease and become less stressed?
Helpful tips
Feel Your Feelings
Do What Makes You Comfortable
Educate Yourself on Your Child’s School Safety Policy
Limit Media Consumption—But Don’t Completely Tune Out
It’s OK to Express Emotions With Children
Make a Family Safety Plan
Make a Family Safety Plan
Find Resources To Cope With Anxiety
Exercise.
Cut back on media exposure.
Move your body.
Breathe deeply.
Go for a bike ride, take a dance class or head out for a hike to burn off excess mental energy.
- Make a list of all the ways your child is safe.
It’s easy to feel powerless right now, in this world we live in today. Write down the many ways that your child is protected, both at school and at home. If need be, find out what your school is doing to keep students safe. - Cry.
For some parents, feelings of sorrow about tragedies that have happened in a school related atmosphere are too big to be contained, and leak out as anger, worry or obsessive thinking. Humans release stress hormones with tears. Allow yourself to have a good cry (when your kids aren’t around) to offload some of your pent up emotion. - Take action.
Some schools welcome parents on their campus to help out. Ask what you can do as administrators look for ways to reassure children and parents that all is well. Organize an after-school parent-child outing to a park. Volunteer with an organization that helps children in need. Channel anxious energy into action that helps you feel empowered to reduce feelings of helplessness. - Do things that settle you emotionally.
Take a warm bath. Listen to music. Knit. Paint. Sing. Think about the things that soothed you as a child or that have calmed you in the past, and make time to do those things now.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
—Albert Einstein
This post was written by Lauren K., and published by Convenient Counseling Services.
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