What Causes Anxiety About Going Back to School After Break?
Understanding back-to-school anxiety requires an understanding of a person’s triggers. For example, a student suffering from social anxiety may feel anxious about returning to school because of the need to interact with so many other students or new teachers. This may lead to school refusal, in which the student refuses to return to school or protests with parents about having to return. In some cases, Massachusetts students with anxiety are so anxious that they are refusing to go to school for months at a time.
High school can be a hard time for students suffering from mental health disorders. Some common causes for school related anxiety include:
- Academic pressure
- Social interactions
- Fear of fitting in or being accepted by peers
- Making new friends
- Bullying or peer pressure
- Transitioning to a new school
- Adjusting to a new classroom or teachers
- Speaking in front of the class
- Participating in hobbies, group activities, or sports
- Getting called on in class
- Separation anxiety from home or parents
- Unfamiliar school environment
- Getting to class on time
- Health, hygiene, or even personal appearance in school setting
- Safety and security while at school (health related, school violence, etc.)
- Pressure related to extracurricular activities
- Expectations to achieve certain goals
There is a lot of pressure on high school students to do the best that they can at academics, hobbies, or sports all while making friends and getting along with classmates. Coupled with major milestones in a teenager’s life, back-to-school triggers could be anything. Recognizing which triggers are impacting your child allows you to best help them cope or get the help they need to manage their anxiety.
Symptoms of Back-to-School Anxiety
Symptoms of anxiety disorder vary depending on the student and their triggers. With back-to-school anxiety, the anxious or worried thoughts are often directly connected to the teen’s school experience. Some back-to-school related symptoms include:
- Trouble sleeping
- Irritability
- School avoidance
- Inability to focus
- Headaches
- Lack of motivation
- Lost interest in academics, hobbies, or sports
During the summer, you may begin to notice some symptoms of anxiety that relate to your child going back to school. For example, if they begin to comment on ailments, such as headaches or stomach pains, while getting ready to go back to school, this may be a sign of anxiety. Encourage open communication with your child before they go back to school to motivate them to speak out about how they are feeling. Safe and open communication allows you to have a greater understanding of when anxiety is a factor impacting your teen’s mental health.
Prepare Ahead of Time
To best adjust to going back to school, it is important not to skip preparation. Helping your teen prepare for school long before they go will ensure that they are feeling their best and have everything they need to avoid easy anxiety triggers. For example, if your child is prepared for a new school year with all the clothing they might need, school supplies, understanding of who their teachers are and what their classes are, and more initial preparation, they can go into the new school year with more confidence. Early preparation eliminates unknown factors from the start of their school year, helping to reduce anxiety on their first day.
Recognize Triggers
Back-to-school triggers can be anything related to your child’s school experience. Understanding and recognizing these triggers allows your child to learn the proper coping skills to manage anxiety in those situations. It can also help them avoid certain triggers altogether, if they are able to be avoided.
For students having a hard time managing anxiety, it may be best to seek help from an outpatient treatment center. Outpatient treatment for anxiety allows adolescents suffering from anxiety to seek help while still attending school. During the program, they may learn better ways to manage their anxiety that they can practice throughout the school day. By recognizing triggers, teens can get the best help with managing anxiety by first understanding which situations they need to manage their anxiety in.