By Diana Concepción, Ph.D.
The beginning of school is an exciting time for most students and parents because it highlights an opportunity for starting fresh and achieving new goals. For some students however, the start of a new school year can bring worries and fear. These fears can take a life of their own and have negative effects on a student’s performance and mental attitude. The good news is that with proper mental preparation and support, a new school year can begin in a positive way.Often times, even the best students can experience a rise in anxiety either at the start of school or at different times throughout the year. This can take parents off guard and also leave your son or daughter feeling out of control. It can also be confusing if your son or daughter begins the year confidently and it changes midway.
Here are some signs to look for:
- Does your son/daughter doubt his/her academic or athletic abilities?
- Does your son/daughter question whether he/she will be able to handle their new school load?
- Does your son/daughter say that he/she feels butterflies in their stomach??
- Does your son/daughter have a decrease in appetite?
- Does your son/daughter worry about making friends or keeping friends?
- Does your son/daughter say that he/she doesn’t quite belong to a group?
- Does your son/daughter worry about being judged by others?
Express and communicate
Parents can help support their children by keeping open lines of communication and express their understanding of their child’s struggles and worries without trying to “solve the problem.” By initiating conversation at the onset of a school year, children and parents can talk about common fears, worries, or doubts. Students will then have a better grasp of how they are feeling and have a better ability to shift their perspective to a more positive view.
Normalize and minimize the fear
Most teens, whether they are upperclassmen, highly social, introverted, academically gifted, athletically inclined, or just starting their high school career, feel some form of anxiety. Students can begin to normalize their worries by realizing that most of their classmates experience anxiety or worry when starting something new or unknown. Yet, many students believe they are the only ones with these feelings. Once your son or daughter can identify how they are feeling and that it is normal to feel this way, it then becomes easier to make their goals a reality. A small amount of anxiety helps students jump-start and perform better in school.
Parental support and stability
Parents and other trusted adults could help support their children and encourage them to maintain a core circle of friends, express their worries when they occur, focus on what they want to achieve, and view new experiences as challenges. The home needs to be a refuge from the stresses and demands of school, as well as, providing consistent rules and routine for the teen. Parents can remind their teens that although they may not agree, parents do have a wealth of experience and information they can share Students and parents can practice staying calm with one another when stress hits full speed.
The ability to reign in anxiety is an important and necessary skill as students begin a new academic year and as they progress throughout school. Back to school anxiety does not have to be dreaded but rather approached with a positive attitude that “this new academic year is a fresh start to exciting opportunities and experiences!
Thank you for reading my article! Please feel free to contact me if you would like to receive more information about ways to manage anxiety.
About Dr. Concepción
Diana M. Concepción, PhD. is a bilingual Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Peachtree City since 2002. Dr. Concepción graduated from the University of Miami in 1986. She received her Master's degree in Counseling and Consulting Psychology from Harvard University. After working for several years in the Psychopharmacology unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, she completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Vermont in 1995. She then completed a one-year internship at West Roxbury VA Hospital in Massachusetts.
Dr. Concepción provides therapy and counseling to adults, families, couples, children and adolescents. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and substance abuse counseling, as well as family systems theory. For more information, please contact Dr. Concepción or visit her website at www.drdianaconcepcion.com.