Beat The Back To School Blues

Beat The Back-To-School Blues
 

Summer is almost over, and that means more structured routines and fewer lazy afternoons.  The beginning of the school year brings up a range of feelings for students of all ages. There is the promise of a fresh start: new notebooks, pencils and crayons, different teachers and classmates. Some kids are eager to see old friends they have not seen all summer and share their new experiences. Some students may feel excited about returning to school.
 
For many students and parents, however, returning to school can be a time of great stress. Some of you may be transitioning to a new school; moving from elementary school to middle school or moving from middle school to high school. There can be anxiety about making new friends, adjusting to a new school or class, separating from family members, facing expectations of new teachers, not to mention sitting still for hours a day!
 
Parents can help kids turn a rough start into a great school year.
Here are some tips to help ease the transition to the new school year:
 
1.Get Back Into A Routine: 
It is likely that your child will need to wake up much earlier than they had been during the summer in order to get to school on time. Many older students stay up late into the night when school is out. It might take some time to get back on track, so it is a good idea to start going to sleep at a reasonable hour the week before school starts. Even if there is some resistance to the idea of going to bed earlier, predictable routines can be comforting and will help prepare your child for going back to school.
 
2. Discuss Goals and Expectations
This is a great time to speak about your child’s goals for the school year. What does he or she want to achieve? This discussion does not need to be limited to grades. Do they want to make a new friend? Maybe take a risk by trying a new club (or even starting one)? Perhaps your child is shy in school, but wants to set a goal of raising his/her hand to answer a question at least once a day. If necessary, you can help your child clarify and quantify the goal. Be supportive and help your child to think about goals that are realistic. You can then review periodically with your child and assess progress, add support systems or discuss changes to the goals as needed.
 
3. Help Normalize Feelings
Accept that your child may be anxious during the transition and help him/her understand that this is a normal reaction to school for many of his/her classmates. Parents with the best of intentions may feel the need to say something like “oh, there is no need to worry. School will be great. Don’t be nervous.” While encouragement is great, it is also important to validate the anxiety your child has. “I see that you are feeling anxious about school and I know that must be hard. It is OK to feel anxious. I am sure many others are feeling the same way. Let’s talk about it.” You can empathize with a memory of your first day of school or a new job, and speak about how you felt at first and eventually adjusted.  Accentuating the positive about school and reframing your thinking is also very helpful.  Make a list of the positive things about returning to school like seeing friends, learning new topics, fun and exciting school events, and focus on the good stuff.
 
4. Rekindle Old Friendships
Help your child reconnect with their friends before the start of the school year.  Schedule a play date or host a Back-To-School Bash at home.  Nothing is more exciting than seeing old friends again.
 
5. Be Prepared
Try to create as calm an environment as possible for the first day of school.  Organizing things at home — backpack, binder, lunchbox or cafeteria money — will help make the first morning go smoothly. Having healthy, yet kid-friendly lunches will help keep them energized throughout the day. Also, walking through the building and visiting your child’s locker and classroom will help ease anxiety of the unknown.
 
6. Have Fun
Don’t forget to still have fun. For parents and kids, the summer of relaxation might be over, but there still needs to be excitement. Create a calendar of events so you can do fun activities as a family together. Plan seasonal outings to the park, or to the beach. It can’t be all work and no play. For example, after the first day make a special meal, or go to dinner at the end of the week to celebrate. If you give yourself something to look forward to it helps get the mind off the nerves and thoughts of the end of summer. Another tip is welcoming the fun of fall coming with Harvest Parties.
 
While many children will experience the Back-To-School Blues, this is usually short lived.   Implementing these helpful tips will help with the transition.  Most children are resilient and tend to re-adjust quickly.  If your child’s Back-To-School Blues, persist or intensify, this could be due to a deeper emotional issue.
Warning Signs:

It can be tough to tell if troubling behavior in a child is just part of growing up or a problem that should be discussed with a mental health professional. But if there are behavioral signs and symptoms that last weeks or months, and if these issues interfere with the child’s daily life at home and at school, or with friends, you should contact us right away. 

Young children may benefit from an evaluation and treatment if they:

• Have frequent tantrums or are intensely irritable much of the time
• Often talk about fears or worries
• Complain about frequent stomachaches or headaches with no known medical cause
• Are in constant motion and cannot sit quietly (except when they are watching videos or playing video games)
• Sleep too much or too little, have frequent nightmares, or seem sleepy during the day
• Are not interested in playing with other children or have difficulty making friends
• Struggle academically or have experienced a recent decline in grades
• Repeat actions or check things many times out of fear that something bad may happen.

Older children and adolescents may benefit from an evaluation if they:

• Have lost interest in things that they used to enjoy
• Have low energy
• Sleep too much or too little, or seem sleepy throughout the day
• Are spending more and more time alone, and avoid social activities with friends or family
• Fear gaining weight, or diet or exercise excessively
• Engage in self-harm behaviors (e.g., cutting or burning their skin)
• Smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs
• Engage in risky or destructive behavior alone or with friends
• Have thoughts of suicide
• Have periods of highly elevated energy and activity, and require much less sleep than usual
• Say that they think someone is trying to control their mind or that they hear things that other people cannot hear.

 
Your child may be experiencing academic difficulties, depression, anxiety, self-esteem or body image issues, social/peer issues, bullying and/or difficulty coping with stress.  These issues can feel overwhelming for a child or teen. 

As a seasoned mental health professional and former, School Principal, who specializes in child/teen issues and parenting, I bring a valuable perspective into the therapy sessions.  Teaching children effective strategies for building self-esteem, dealing with life stressors, managing depression and anxiety, are one of my greatest joys.  These skills are life changing and empower children to deal with life’s challenges.   Therapeutic strategies learned in therapy, now, are strategies a child can take into adulthood with them and will help them grow into healthy, well-adjusted adults.  If your child is demonstrating the symptoms listed above, don’t wait any longer.  These symptoms can worsen quickly. 

Schedule a complimentary phone consultation, today.

Sandra has been serving the South Florida community for over 20 years.  She provides Individual, Family and Couples therapy for Children, Teens and Adults in English and Spanish. Also, offering convenient daytime and evening hours.
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Sandra Sorrentino, LMHC
Counseling And Wellness Group International
2741 Executive Park Drive, Suite 1
Weston, FL 33331
(954) 779-8081
[email protected]
www.counselingandwellnessgroupinternational.com