Tips for Overcoming School Worries

It’s completely normal for students to go through a phase of mild worry about going into school – perhaps after school holidays, a period of sickness, or due to a fall out with friends – and it can be difficult for parents/carers to know what to do for the best when these feelings surface. Check out some tips below from Dr Sophie Mort, a clinical psychologist and mental health expert at Headspace.

Tips for Parents/Carers from Dr Sophie Mort

– Appreciate that kids’ worries are normal: Children can experience feelings of anxiety to varying extents, and some much worse than others. It’s important to understand each child’s symptoms and responses to anxiety. Once you have an understanding into how they feel at specific moments, then you can start to help.

– Learn to recognise your own worries as a parent: Being open and sharing experiences of when you have struggled in the past will ultimately help your children understand that they are not the only ones with these feelings, and therefore, they may find it easier to open up. Your anxiety can sometimes rub off on your children, so try to remain calm in the way that you interact with them.

– Take advantage of the resources available: From books and online resources to apps and IRL (‘in real life’) support groups, there are so many resources at hand to consult when you are looking for ways to best support your child. Your local bookshop can be a great place to start, or search mental health websites such as Headspace, which has a number of free resources available. The article titled ‘How to beat school stress from the top down’ is a great example. The Department for Education has also collated free resources in one place, which can be accessed on the Education Hub.

– Try family meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises: For those needing in-the-moment support, practising mindfulness or breathing exercises as a family can be effective. Both methods are proven to slow the heart rate and act as a calming mechanism. This can be done from any place, at any time.

– Take the pressure off: Many children feel different pressures about going to school, from feeling a need to be the most academic to being in the ‘right’ social group. Try encouraging your child to stay in the present, rather than fearing the next day or week of school, the next exam, and so on. Most importantly, ensure their home is a safe place of respite and support, rather than a source of more pressure.

– Talk to the school: If you’re struggling with what you should do about your child’s anxiety, you can speak to your child’s school to seek support. The school will often be able to talk to you about particular things that might be worrying your child and work with both you and them to alleviate their worries and support them to attend.

– Speak to a professional: If you or your child are struggling to cope with worries or anxiety which persists over several weeks, it’s important to seek the help of a healthcare professional, like a GP, if you haven’t done so already. Talking to your GP, talking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (also known as CBT) can help you manage symptoms.