Back to school: Top tips for anxiety
The start of a new school year is fast approaching. With that can come the stress and anxiety of staying caught up with classes, work and your personal life. St. Joe's Psychologist, Karen Rowa, shares her top tips for helping to combat anxiety when heading back to school.
Normalizing Anxiety:
Returning to school puts students in new and challenging environments. There are a lot of unknowns, which can bring on nervousness in individuals. It is important to realize that it is very normal to feel this way and to not over interpret this anxiety. The newness of the situation will fade with time.
Catastrophic Thoughts:
People tend to have pre-formulated, negative ideas of how bad things will go or how unprepared they are. We always want to balance out those negative thoughts. Talk yourself down from those negative thoughts and balance them by looking at evidence. For example, if you made a new friend last year or overcame a challenge, remind yourself of this.
Schedule:
For parents and students, getting back onto a proper schedule is key. It will be useful to start getting into a routine and going to bed and waking up at a proper hour. Stay on top of your meals. For university students, try and do a dry run and look for your classes to familiarize yourself with the new environment.
Become Independent:
It is ok to want to stick to a close friend but don't become over reliant on them; as you are easing into school, try and do some things independently. Attend a social event with your friends but then try and find something that interests you that you can do on your own.
Exposure Therapy:
Just doing the same thing over and over again makes it get easier with time. Going and doing things over and over will make them easier to cope with.
LEARN MORE:
If you have questions or would like to learn more, contact your family doctor or visit our website here.