How to Manage Back to School Anxiety for Parents

This article is based on the latest available information at the time of publication. However, it cannot replace personalized, professional care. Please consult with your physician or mental health professional before making changes that impact your health.

Also, we hope you love the products we recommend. Just so you know, Vitality Views may collect a share of sales or other compensations from the links on this page.

Does your child express a great amount of worry about the upcoming school year? Do you struggle to get them up for school in the morning and experience a lot of resistance? Handling back to school anxiety for parents isn’t a unique phenomenon, but it’s not easy, either, especially because many parents don’t recall having a similar level of anxiety when they were in school. As such, learning the right back to school anxiety for parents tips is essential for helping your child have a great year.

Anxiety in children is on the rise. In fact, anxiety has surpassed depression as the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in children, with 16.1% having been formally diagnosed with an anxiety-related condition. To help you understand your child’s anxiety, we’ll teach you about some common sources of anxiety as well as how to set your child up for success.

Back to School Anxiety for Parents: The Likely Causes

Social Media

Unfortunately, kids are more anxious today than they’ve ever been in recorded history. For many parents, this may come as a surprise, as many people assume that children today have life better and easier than any other generation. However, children today face a wide variety of anxiety sources, stemming first and foremost from the devices we all keep in our pockets.

Smartphones, tablets, and social media have had one of the most negative impacts on childhood anxiety in the last few decades. As children engage with social media, they are exposed to the highlight reel of all their peers’ lives at a time when their brains are wired for social comparison. They may feel as if they’re missing out or become anxious about measuring up to impossible standards. In addition, many children interact with others online, leading to a rise in cyberbullying.

COVID-19

To understand back to school anxiety for parents, we need to talk about COVID-19. Children going into their senior year of high school today were going into 6th grade in 2020, and the majority of them spent crucial years for social development interacting with their peers through a screen. Though it may seem like a contradiction, isolation often triggers social anxiety, as people who haven’t been acclimated to socializing find social situations new and unfamiliar. In addition, most children are now spending their evenings on their devices instead of out with their friends.

Back to School Anxiety for Parents: What to Do

1. Seek Help from a Mental Health Professional

back to school anxiety for parents online therapy vs in-person therapy high functioning anxiety signs signs you need a therapist counseling therapy — Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

To help you manage back to school anxiety for parents, you should first consider setting your child up with an appointment with a mental health professional. Counselors and psychiatrists both receive extensive training in treating anxiety and helping your child navigate everyday situations. While counselors provide your child with a safe, confidential space to discuss their anxieties, psychiatrists prescribe medication that help your child feel less anxious.

Talkiatry offers accessible and affordable options for both counselors and psychiatrists. To get started, simply upload your insurance details and tell Talkiatry where you’re located (this helps them match you to someone licensed for your jurisdiction), and then get matched with clinical providers to meet your needs. All visits will happen online, from the comfort of your home, so your child won’t have to worry about facing their anxiety to get care!

2. Review Helpful Coping Skills

back to school anxiety for parents woman at peace meditating — Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Coping skills help children endure and feel more confident handling difficult emotions. Therapists use many different coping skills for handling emotions. You and your child should review each of the ones included below and practice them on a daily basis until school starts. That way, your child will feel more confident implementing them when they feel the anxiety creeping in. Helpful coping skills for anxiety:

Breathing techniques. Breathing in the right way calms the nervous system and clues the brain into the fact that everything is actually okay. Many people like the box breathing technique (4 seconds of inhaling, holding the breath for 4 seconds, then exhaling for 4 seconds), but exhaling for longer than you inhale better soothes the nervous system. Try the 5-6-7 technique (5 seconds of inhaling, 6 seconds of holding the breath, and 7 seconds of exhaling).
Visualization. Encourage your child to picture a safe and happy place. Tell them to notice everything they can about this safe and happy place, including what they can see, taste, smell, and feel. Then, tell them to picture this place if they start to feel the back to school anxiety.
The 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Have them list 5 things they can see, 4 things they can feel, 3 things they hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste. This grounds them in the moment and reduces anxiety.

Back to School Anxiety for Parents: Don’t Rescue Them

Watching your child struggle with anxiety throughout the school day often proves difficult for parents. However, one of the most crucial back to school anxiety for parents tips involves not rescuing your children every time they call and ask to be taken home. The best way to treat anxiety involves exposing the children to the anxiety so they can see that their most feared outcome will likely not happen, and they’ll become less sensitive to their anxiety triggers.

They can still have mental health days if they truly need them, though. Here’s a good litmus test to determine if you should take them home: ask them whether they’ve tried all their coping skills. If they haven’t, encourage them to stay longer and give the coping skills a try. If they have and the skills haven’t helped, consider taking them home.

Tailoring Anxiety Help to Your Child

kid at school back to school anxiety for parents — Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

If your child suffers from school-related anxiety, you probably want to help them out as quickly as possible. However, treating anxiety often involves experimenting with various coping skills and providing your child with a space to process the unique things making them anxious. Although there are common sources of anxiety, you should ask your child whether they’re experiencing any type of bullying or abuse at school and take immediate action if they are.

Now that you know how to manage back to school anxiety for parents, you’re ready to help your child feel better. Taking care of your own mental health is a great way to do so. Whether you’re ready to start therapy yourself or simply wanting to learn more about back to school anxiety for parents, your efforts will destigmatize mental health for your kids.