Navigating Mental Health With Your Child as They Go Back to School

Navigating Mental Health With Your Child as They Go Back to School

Youth across the nation have struggled to endure the loss of normalcy throughout the pandemic, from Zoom classes to navigating the hallways wearing a mask. Mentally, COVID has done a number on children and adults alike, but school-aged kids have suffered a lot of loss, from graduation ceremonies, first days of school, and an overall disruption to their learning and social development.

There have been higher rates of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal ideation. This is especially prevalent among teens and college-aged students, who may feel overwhelmed about future prospects and how to deal with the day-to-day challenges of school, work, and personal life.

Get a Proactive Jump on the Situation

For many students, it can be an anxiety-inducing experience to enter the hallways of a new school for the first time on arguably the most chaotic day of the year. If possible, take your child on a tour of the school before classes start.

This can be especially true for kids and young adults who are entering a much larger environment, such as a bustling middle school, a capacious high school building, or an expansive college campus. At the very least, this defeats some of the "unknownness" of the experience and may provide some students with a sense of relief on the first day, when they're not feeling lost and stressed about arriving late to class.

The very idea of school may not thrill most children, but often an aspect of the day may bring curiosity or budding excitement to the prospect of attending the educational institution. If your child enjoys art, for example, you may lead them in discussions about their upcoming DIY projects and the annual art fair that the school puts on.

School is often considered an exhaustive trial in which students are forced to cram repetitive knowledge in their brains for six to eight hours a day. If you pinpoint what lights each child up, time spent in the classroom doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

Lead Regular Open Discussions

Many parents know that it can be increasingly difficult to get their children to open up as they grow older. You may ask your teen how their day went and simply get a grunt in return, which doesn't do a lot in helping you get a gauge on their mental health.

Rarely do children provide the full picture of the school day and all of the ins and outs of the social hierarchy in the hallways, though it certainly never hurts to attempt to pry a few details out of your tight-lipped student.

Parents can lead the discussion by talking about what went well for them at work, while also taking a moment to touch on what perhaps didn't go as expected. Exhibiting to your child that there are bad days and that it's okay to feel frustrated and overwhelmed shows them that they have the space to do the same.

These days, students face pressure from many different sources. They may be peer pressured by classmates and stressed about an upcoming test. Asking your child about the daily challenges that they're facing can be a gateway to a lengthier discussion on how to navigate tribulations in a healthy and sustainable manner.

Keep an Eye on New Behaviors

In the early stages of mental health onset, parents may notice small behavior changes that could easily be brushed off as a transitory stage of development.

If your student has developed an altered sleep pattern, increased agitation, or weight fluctuation, these can all be signs that something else is going on. Many of these signs may also be contributed to a significant life change, such as going off to college and leaving home for the first time.

A parent's instinct should be heavily relied upon, as it may provide clues as to whether the changes in behavior are a sign of another underlying issue. There's a difference between a stressful finals week and an ongoing mental deterioration that seems to be worsening by the day.

Younger kids may begin to act out in class by disobeying the teacher and participating in unwanted behavior in the hallways. This becomes especially notable when the child is otherwise introverted and quiet but has suddenly taken to verbally and physically acting out.

Offer Tangible Solutions and Advice

There is no singular "correct" way to help your child traverse school and young adulthood. However, providing a safe space for your kid to talk openly and freely about how they're feeling can go a long way in getting ahead of a serious mental health crisis.

Providing your student with the information and education about the common symptoms of mental health can clue them in on how to handle these feelings when they inevitably encounter them. Parents are encouraged to educate themselves on the resources around mental health, especially as it pertains to the younger generations. This allows adults to be better stewards of help when a child comes to them exhibiting worrisome signs.

Through a lack of organized education in the classroom surrounding mental health and what depression and anxiety actually look like, many students may be unaware that they're experiencing symptoms at all. It's not uncommon for young kids to chalk up their frustrations to hating school and simply being "bad" at it.

Jocelyn Aleiadih, LCSW

www.yourlifepathcenter.com