Banish School Stress with Habits that Stick

Back-to-school time is always a period of transition, which can be stressful for the whole family. While it’s an exciting time, many kids experience anxiety regarding the transition and the unknowns, which is common and natural. Kids react to the back-to-school season in many different ways.

For those who struggle being separated from mom and dad, it can be a time of peak anxiety. If it’s a transition year or the first time a child is attending school, the unknown can bring added stress. And the summer routine, along with the friends and fun, is about to change, all of which can bring about feelings of discomfort.

For most children, back-to-school stress will fade as they settle into their new routine, getting to know their new teachers and classmates. The objective during this time is to provide support and ways to manage their feelings of discomfort and stress.

Here are five ways to help make the back-to-school transition easy and stress-free for the whole family.

‘STRESS-LESS’ HABIT #1: CALM MORNINGS

Stressed getting the kids out of the house in the morning? Do you use anger or yelling to try to motivate them? Most parents feel guilty for yelling but don’t know what else to do. And the long-term effects of yelling at kids can create emotional scars and aggression. What to do instead? Try TouchPoints in the morning on kids to keep them focused and on track. If you feel rushed or stressed, start your day with TouchPoints to stay in a calm, focused state and get the morning off to a good start. Here are a few other resources regarding the effects of yelling and anger on children.

‘STRESS-LESS’ HABIT #2: FOCUSED IN CLASS

If your child has a hard time focusing, has sensory integration problems, or anxiety, try having them use TouchPoints during class to help stay in a calm, focused state and get the year off to a good start. Teachers often form lasting impressions of your child the first week, so getting off to a good start can set the tone for the entire semester.

‘STRESS-LESS’ HABIT #3: SAY GOODBYE TO TEST ANXIETY

Test anxiety can wreak havoc on grades, even when someone knows the right answers. Anxiety may negatively impact information processing in key brain networks associated with working memory and may be a large factor in academic underachievement despite hard work. Students who use TouchPoints while they are studying for tests and during test-taking report lower levels of anxiety and higher performance.

‘STRESS-LESS’ HABIT #4: STRESS-FREE HOMEWORK

We procrastinate or take longer on tasks that are unpleasant. If homework takes significantly longer than it should even with coaxing, pleading, threatening, and tears, use TouchPoints as a homework helper to undo the negative effects of the stress. Parental anxiety over homework might stress the kids and make them more likely to want to avoid it. Type A parents can use TouchPoints during homework time so they can relax and not create an anxious response in their children. Have an unfocused or anxious kid who has a hard time getting started? Start them with TouchPoints on and see how power struggles and distractibility can change into just another part of the day.

‘STRESS-LESS’ HABIT #5: ADEQUATE SLEEP

Parents who have a problem with easing into sleep usually have more difficulty with transitions such as back-to-school. Use TouchPoints before sleep to help calm any stressful thoughts or physical tension. Got an anxious kid who has a hard time falling asleep? Have them use TouchPoints before bed. Anxious children have more emotional disorders and cognitive problems that scientists attribute to the lack of sleep. Besides establishing consistent bedtimes, make sure you and your kids are able to fall asleep quickly with no stress and enjoy sweet dreams.

Make Back-To-School a positive experience and an opportunity for positive changes. Let us know how TouchPoints help you and your family #stressless and enjoy the year!