• Notice Changes, and Adjust
  • Back-to-school is hard enough, add in the events of the last few years and there may be some changes in your child’s typical behavior. A bit of anxiety, disorganization, and frustration are normal, give patience and empathy as they navigate their new routine. However, be sure to notice when it becomes atypical behaviors such as changes in appetite, feeling sad/empty/hopeless/helpless, excessive worry, panic attacks, rapid mood swings or sudden onsets of new behaviors which could indicate they may need professional help.
• Team Effort
  • Your child’s school is there to help your child get the tools that they need to be successful, you are absolutely part of that team! Reach out to teachers and administrators to advocate on your child’s behalf and see if there is a way to collaborate to help your child succeed.
• Communicate
  • Be sure to “check-in” with the student in your life and facilitate discussions about their schooling. Creating this open door as a line of communication will hopefully encourage your child to talk openly about school with you. What a perfect way to model healthy communication skills and encourage your child to advocate for themselves with you!
• Take Care of YOU
  • That’s right, YOU! There’s a saying in the counseling world that “you can’t pour from an empty cup” which essentially means that you must take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Think of it like flying on an airplane: if oxygen masks were to drop during turbulence, the captain instructs us to put our oxygen masks on before helping others. Why? Because we’re of no use to others if we ourselves are deprived of oxygen too.

School Year (Change & Adjustment)

The 2022-2023 school year is upon us! Whether you’re in school yourself or have young children in school, this article is for you! Starting school is a big change and adjustment in a lot of ways. It is crucial to prepare mentally and physically for any upcoming change, adjustment, or new experience. Preparing for a change enables a more positive mindset and overall motivation to manage adversity. As the 1998 Disney movie Mulan states in a musical number: “Let’s get down to business to defeat the [school year].” Psychology Today (Becker-Phelps, 2016) references four key tips to make the most of an upcoming change in your life:

• Make note of your inner conflict—what are you feeling.
• Once you are aware of your ambivalence you can look more closely at it- why are you feeling negative? Avoid getting pulled into the negative feeling.
• Use greater self-awareness to reduce self-criticism and make strides towards your goal—be empathetic to yourself and consider how you would help a friend in a similar situation.
• Work to increase your motivation – exploring positive perspective and positive coping mechanisms.

Tips for the upcoming school year:

• Get organized
• Make a schedule and routine and practice it!
• Prepare each night tomorrow-pack your lunch!
• Be prepared-have a pen and notebook ready for notes!
• Talk to a friend, counselor, or teacher if you’re feeling confused or lost
• Drink plenty of water!

The following are wellness techniques to consider if you are preparing for an upcoming change of any kind!

Positive Coping Mechanisms

Positive coping is all about positive self-care. Activities that center around spiritual, physical, or mental wellness are a great start. Some examples include:

• Take a walk-through nature
• Spend time alone and without distraction
• Listen to uplifting music
• Prepare a list of positive affirmations and encouraging words

Positive Self-talk

Positive self-talk is key to managing negative emotions and experiences. Think about encouraging and motivating words as your own personal cheerleader. Thye are there to help you through adversity. Examples of positive self-talk include:

• I am enough and worthy.
• This is really hard but I’m going to keep trying.
• I like me.
• I’ve been through this before and I can do it again.

Communication Tips

Whether you are about to experience a change or are supporting someone through a change, it can be beneficial to understand basic communication strategies for success.

• Acknowledge or help someone to identify an emotion or feeling
• Validate and provide support to the emotion or feeling
• Utilize assertive communication to adequately express triggers, stressors, and emotions/feelings (ex, I am feeling anxious when I think about starting school.)
• Problem-solve methods for positive coping

Emotional Identification Tips

It can be helpful to utilize the following steps to manage negative and difficult emotions associated with change and adversity:

• Identify the emotion (ex. I am feeling anxious.)
• What is triggering this emotion (person, place, or thing)
• Focus on relaxation strategies to decrease your reaction to the emotion
• Brainstorm what you can control and what you can’t control about the situation that is causing you to feel this way
• Focus your mental and physical energy into what you can control
• Acknowledge the difficulty in what you can’t control
• Breath and practice a positive coping mechanism
• Repeat as needed

If you are feeling changed in any of these areas or with a particular stressor in your life, reach out to a counselor.

Mental health is important and your feelings matter!