School is one of the most common sources of anxiety in children. According to the Princeton Review, more than half of students in America experience school stress at one point or another. If your child is in this majority, there are coping strategies that can help. Anxiety doesn’t need to derail our students’ success.
Strategies for Tackling Anxiety
Develop a mantra
One of the easiest and most immediate ways to cope with anxiety is to develop a supportive phrase for yourself. Memorize and repeat this phrase to yourself in stressful situations. The focus of this phrase is entirely up to the individual. Some people like to remind themselves of their strengths, while others prefer to focus on their physical well-being. Whatever a person’s personal mantra is, it should bring some comfort in stressful situations.
Change the inner dialogue
Similarly, sometimes anxiety can be lessened through forcing ourselves to speak positively, even if we don’t believe what we are saying. As with the Illusory Truth Effect, research has shown that if we repeat a thought over and over, we can eventually convince ourselves that it’s true. So instead of responding to a situation with “I can’t do this,” we should force ourselves into the habit of saying “this is going to be amazing” or use other, similarly optimistic language.
Get enough shut-eye
While each person’s experience with anxiety varies in frequency and intensity, there are other factors that can contribute to how often and how strongly anxiety is present in a person’s life. One of the greatest factors is sleep, both quantity and quality. Sleeping too little (or too much!) can hinder the body’s ability to naturally reduce stress levels. So another great first step is regulating sleep and wake times.
Feel the feelings
A lot of the physical sensations that build up when anxiety is present appear because of the brain’s “fight or flight” response. Your body is literally doing what it needs to do to prepare to either fight or run! Oxygen gets sent to the muscles, which means there isn’t as much available for the brain. This can make you feel dizzy. Blood rushes to our heads, which is why we sometimes feel hot or flushed. Becoming aware of these physical sensations can actually, in turn, help us to consciously regulate them.
Release pent-up energy
Once we become aware of what’s happening in our body and why, we should do something with all that stored energy! If you have 5 minutes to spare, a quick bout of physical exercise is a great way to release the energy that’s stored up from that fight or flight response. If you don’t have the time, or doing 20 jumping jacks wouldn’t be appropriate in the moment, you can also just as effectively disperse the energy through slow, conscious breathing.
Use Scents
Certain scents have been associated with stress relief. Lavender, chamomile, and lemon are among the most powerful. A couple of minutes with a scented candle or an oil containing these scents can do wonders for a person’s stress levels. They also work well in tea!
Write yourself letters
Another effective long-term approach to dealing with frequent anxiety is writing letters to yourself. It’s best to do this at a time that’s stress-free, when anxiety is at its lowest and unlikely to strike anytime soon. You can write one amazing letter containing everything that you will need to hear, or write short letters to yourself often. And at your most stressful moments, take a minute to read your own calming words of wisdom.
Conclusion
For some people, these coping mechanisms aren’t enough. Sometimes medical intervention is needed in order to adequately address high levels of anxiety. If this is the case for your child, talk to a doctor about what further steps he or she may need to address their anxiety.
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