Do you have students that are anxious about going back to school. They are not alone! “About 1 in 3 students will experience an anxiety disorder before they reach the age of 18”. (www.compasshealthnetwork. org.) This was compiled in 2020 but, since then the world has only become more stressful and anxiety ridden.
The good news is bullying and anxiety is manageable. Here are a few tips that may help your student adjust.
Focus on Communication with your child: One of the biggest reasons you may have an anxious student on your hands is because lack of communication. They may not feel safe enough to express what is happening. So, they may to have to coping skills they need. For that reason, you must focus on communication with them. Open up the conversation! If you don’t have open communication, you will not know what’s happening, so you can’t help if you don’t know.
Normalize students Anxiety: One thing that may help with students’ anxiety is to normalize their anxiety. In the past anxiety was down played as behavioral issues. You can be the change by paying attention to what you see as normalizing the anxiety. Explain how every student will get anxious at some point and the difference between positive and negative anxiety.
Talk about how to handle Elementary bullies and identifying them first.
Another thing we need to normalize is bullying. Explain how bullies have always existed, and always will. Bullying des not stop once kids reach adulthood. That’s why you help you child identify and recognize bullying first. From there you can explain how to handle that situation as it arises, again you need to communicate so they will feel comfortable telling you what is happening.
Research and discuss coping mechanisms: You should instruct your child to stay far away from bullies as possible. Teach them how to assert healthy boundaries and stand up for themselves (non-violent). Make sure they know who to report to if this continues.
Schools on Bullying: what policies are in place:
Depending on the situation, you may want to talk to school and see what their policies are. Tell them what is happening. Take the necessary steps if it is escalating. Research all options if things are not being appropriately taken care of.
If you have a child going to school soon, then consider anxiety and bullying. These factors are present at all ages in school, and your child will get exposed if they’re in any school. Keep communication open, normalize anxiety, and talk with you student. Discuss coping mechanisms and consider talking to the school if things progress (www. compasshealthnetwork. org). For help or more information call Project Celebration, Inc. @ 318256-6242