All Posts Tagged: back-to-school anxiety

First Day Jitters and Back To School Anxiety

For many kids, the end of summer and the beginning of school is something to look forward to, but for some, it can trigger a case of school anxiety. Children may be unwilling to get on the bus for the first day of classes or might cry when they talk about starting school.

There can be many reasons for this separation anxiety and the resulting back to school fears: a move to a new house, an attachment figure’s illness, or a friend who has moved away. Kids may also worry over how they will do in school or if they will make new friends.

School Anxiety Causes

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7 Tips for Overcoming Back to School Anxiety

Another school year has come around and with it, the possibility of extreme fear and separation anxiety for some children. Although it’s normal for any kid to have a certain degree of back to school anxiety, there is a huge difference between a child who is nervous about the new school year and one whose anxiety is severe enough to seek professional care.

Kids often worry about things like fitting in or whether the teacher will pick on them, which increases their stress. In the week leading up to the beginning of the school year or in the last few days before the end of a school break, younger kids may show some separation anxiety by crying frequently, throwing temper tantrums, or being more clingy than usual. Older children’s school anxiety symptoms can include being moody or irritable, complaining of headaches or stomach aches, or withdrawing into themselves.  So how can a parent tell if their child just has school jitters or if they truly have back to school anxiety?

Fears about new teachers, harder school work, and being away from their parents are common for kids and usually stop within a couple of weeks once the child settles into the routine of the new school year. For those children whose anxiety symptoms continue beyond the first four or five weeks of school or seem extreme or inappropriate for their developmental level, a consultation with a therapist may be in order.

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School Phobia and First-Day Jitters

It’s hard to believe it but it’s that time again: schools are welcoming back students all across the country. The summer weeks have passed and parents everywhere are stocking up on school supplies while their children pick out their favorite lunch boxes.

For many kids, the start of school is exciting. They get to see the friends they’ve missed all summer and there’s a sense of being that much closer to being “all grown up” or becoming an adult. However, some children have a school phobia that can give them the first-day jitters. These children will likely experience increased anxiety with the beginning of school.

School phobia is a complex and extreme form of anxiety. It is also known as school depression or school refusal and can occur for many reasons, including:

  • Starting school for the first time
  • Changing schools and having to make new friends
  • Returning to school after being away for a long time due to illness or an extended holiday
  • Fear of being targeted by a bully
  • Bereavement (of a person or pet)
  • Feeling threatened by the arrival of a new baby
  • Having had a traumatic experience, such as abuse
  • Problems at home, such as a family member being ill
  • Parents’ divorce or separation
  • Violence at home
  • Not having good friends or not having any friends at all
  • Being unpopular
  • Feeling like a physical failure in school sports
  • Feeling like an academic failure

One of the most common triggers of school phobia (first-day jitters) is starting school for the first time. The child experiences separation anxiety because they find it difficult to comprehend being away from their parents for an extended period of time. In addition, if the child is not used to having an entire day organized for them, the schedule at school can add to the stress they feel.

For older children who have been in school for a while, most back-to-school anxiety is directly related to their fears about how they will perform in school. They wonder if they will do well in games, be asked to answer questions, or be asked to read aloud. In addition, some children have been targeted by bullies or have been made fun of in past school years, so they feel anxious about possibly repeating this abuse in the new school year.

When school depression and anxiety starts to creeps into your child’s mind, the symptoms will be fairly obvious. The child will usually suffer from the following school anxiety symptoms:

  • Stomachaches
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Shaking
  • A racing heart
  • Needing frequent trips to the toilet

You can do some things at home to help with school anxiety in your children, including:

  • Reassuring your child that everything will be fine once they get past the thing they fear.
  • Telling them you love them and letting them know they are brave for going to school despite their fears.
  • Telling them you’re proud of them.
  • Keeping them to a familiar routine to make them less anxious.
  • Finding things, both within and outside of school, that they can look forward to.

If you suspect that your child is developing a school phobia, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible: the longer the anxiety continues the harder it can be to treat.

For more help with anxiety treatment for school phobia or the first-day jitters in the Boca Raton area, please contact Dr. Andrew Rosen at 561-223-6568 today.

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