How to help your kids with school anxiety
Helping your kids with school anxiety can be challenging, but here are some tips to support them. By implementing these strategies and providing consistent support, you can help your child effectively manage school anxiety and build resilience.
1. Listen to their concerns:
Create a safe space for your child to express their worries and fears about school. Let them know that you are there to listen and offer support. Parents and family provide an important support to kids when it come to any changes. Encouragement, reassurance and availability to spend time and listen to your kids’ concerns boosts their resilience to adjust and overcome to new challenges.
2. Encourage open communication:
Encourage your child to talk about their feelings and concerns. Ask open-ended questions and show empathy towards their struggles. Remember to reflect on what is being shared with you and acknowledge feelings by using active listening techniques. Don’s invalidate or try to fix it for your kids, just listen and be there for them instead.
3. Develop a routine:
Establishing a consistent daily routine can help reduce anxiety for children. Create a schedule for schoolwork, meals, and relaxation to provide a sense of predictability. Summer is fun, but can be destabilizing. Getting back to a regular consistent routine is essential to your kids mental health and school success. It’s important to create a healthy balance and not overschedule children predisposed to anxiety with extra curricular activities. It’s crucial for kids to have a free time to relax and decompress at the end of the school day.
4. Teach coping strategies:
Help your child develop coping strategies to manage their anxiety, such as deep breathing exercises, visualization techniques, or mindfulness practices. Coping and relaxation skills can be a great help for children struggling with anxiety. Children’s yoga and meditation, journaling and progressive muscle relaxation are a few techniques that can be very helpful at the end of the day.
5. Promote a healthy lifestyle:
Encourage your child to get regular exercise, eat healthily, and get enough sleep. A healthy lifestyle can help improve mood and reduce anxiety. Getting the energy out and being active helps release anxious tension and stress that our body holds. Healthy diet promotes healthy baseline and nutrition for your children to get through the day. Avoiding certain foods, such as sugar or processed foods, can reduce children’s hyperactivity and antsiness.
6. Stay positive:
Encourage a positive mindset by focusing on your child’s strengths and abilities. Remind them that it’s okay to make mistakes and that challenges can be opportunities for growth. Focusing on growth mindset vs victories can help your children build resilience when dealing with challenges. It’s important for parents to monitor how they talk around children and avoid comparing to others. Remember, your voice, one day can become your child’s, therefore it’s important to pay attention to how you think and what you say about yourself, people around you and your children.
7. Notice and work on your own anxiety:
Numerous studies have shown a strong association between parental and children anxiety and most studies confirm that parental anxiety disorders are among the most powerful predictors of anxiety in children (NCBI). Research indicates that in a household of a child with anxiety at least one parent also has anxiety. If you or the other parent has anxiety, it will most likely impact your child and the way she/he sees the world and experience challenges in life. Therefore it’s important to work on yourself and get a proper help to reduce anxiety in the household.
8. Seek professional help:
If your or your child’s anxiety is severe or persistent, consider seeking help from a mental health professional, such as a counselor or therapist, who can provide appropriate interventions and support. Reach out today for a Free consultation or reschedule an appointment through the website to see how we can help.