Summer holidays are officially coming to an end, with a new school year just a calendar flip away. For some children and teenagers, this can be a daunting time, as feelings of post-summer sadness and back-to-school anxiety loom.
While a new school year can always be nerve-wracking, data suggests there's been a significant jump in youth struggling with anxiety – from 11.6 per cent of youth experiencing a form of anxiety in 2012, to 20.5 per cent of youth in 2021, according to a meta-analysis of 29 different studies by the Journal of the American Medical Association's pediatrics research.
A Canadian registered psychologist told CTVNews.ca that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is part of this, and is still being felt.
“We know the pandemic impacted youth in terms of academic learning and milestones, social isolation and development as well as ongoing family stress,” said Marlene Taube-Schiff, director and founder of Forward Thinking Psychological Services, a multidisciplinary practice offering services in Ontario and B.C., in email to CTVNews.ca.
“It can take time for youth to recover from these ongoing stressors. In addition, youth and teens can face challenges with emotion regulation, social development, peer pressure and academic stressors. Altogether, this can amount to mental health issues, including anxiety and low mood.
SIGNS OF ANXIETY IN YOUNG PEOPLE
Anxiety can show up differently in everyone.
For those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), it often involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread, which can interfere with daily life. GAD is not the same as anxiety due to stressful life events, however.
For some people, the latter type of anxiety could look like increased irritability, frustration or difficulty sleeping, according to Megan Rafuse, psychotherapist and co-founder and CEO of Shift Collab, an online mental health practice.
Other symptoms of anxiety may include feeling restless, wound-up or on edge, feeling easily fatigued, or having difficulty concentrating.
For younger kids, complaints about stomach aches, increased clinginess or expressed worries are signs to look out for.
The transition of the back-to-school time of year can be filled with all kinds of anxiety-inducing uncertainty: adjusting to new teachers, learning new routes to class and re-socializing with peers, to name a few.
“These uncertainties and fears over what to expect for the year ahead can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and result in a whole lot of unhelpful 'what if’-type thoughts,” said Rafuse. “What if my teacher doesn’t like me? What if I don’t fit in? What if I fail? Combined with the physical symptoms of anxiety, these thoughts can be highly distressing.”
“While experiencing some anxiety is a normal human experience, if you notice your child really struggling, it’s important to talk to them about what they are feeling,” said Rafuse.
HOW TO NAVIGATE PRE-SCHOOL ANXIETY
For some, the end of summer vacation may mean saying goodbye to friends, family or activities that bring joy, as well as the escape the months of brings from the stress of the school year.
“Summertime is often marked by freedom from structure and schedules, academic pressures and possibly peer challenges, which might include bullying. There is a significant change in routine over summer. And while this is often a welcome change, it can be very difficult to go back to the rigid nature of school,” said Taube-Schiff.
She suggests youth take stock of what they are most worried about and take action to relieve some of those fears.
“If you are starting a new school and don’t know many people, try connecting with anyone you know who might be going there. Even if they are not a close friend, they are a familiar face and that will help you greatly on that first day,” said Taube-Schiff.
She added that re-establishing connections with friends that students may not have seen over the summer may help with the first-day jitters.
Other tips include eating well, getting physical activity and even saying coping statements to manage anxiety.
For example, stating “I have done this before,” could be helpful, said Taube-Schiff. “Writing down some helpful coping statements and putting them in your room can be a great reminder when you find your anxiety is starting to rise.”
If it’s returning to the building itself that is instilling so anxiety, she suggests visiting the school beforehand as a form of exposure to the fear.
Meanwhile, Rafuse recommends kids and teens take time to reflect on what they did in the summer with gratitude, and consider how they could implement these same activities into their school year.
One example may be playing recreational sports after class, for those who enjoyed an active couple of months off.
In fact, some studies have shown that physical activity can be an effective tool to reduce anxiety in teens. Many community centres run year-round programming for kids and youth at low-cost or subsidized rates.
More holistically, it’s important to acknowledge the uncomfortable feelings of transition periods, says Rafuse.
“If you find yourself worrying about the unknown, there are a few things you can do. First, remind yourself of what you can control. For example, you can choose your outfits, your lunch or who you choose to spend time with at school during the day,” she said. “You can also use a therapy trick to help you to deal with the big worries by asking yourself, 'What would I say to the person I love the most if they were feeling this way?' Surely, you wouldn’t be telling them that the worst-case scenario is going to happen.”
She added that creating a routine ahead of school can help.
“At least a week before the first day of school, start to get back into that school-year routine by getting back into your sleep routine, reducing time on social media, choosing outfits for school, or doing a walk-through with your child about what they can expect on the first day of school.”
HOW EDUCATORS AND PARENTS CAN SUPPORT
Educators or parents and guardians can also take action to support students as they head back to school.
Rafuse says they can help by working hard to alleviate as much uncertainty as possible.
“Share lots of details about what your child can expect and what the new routine will look like, and allow them to make decisions as part of their school experience and give them a sense of ownership over preparing for back to school, where possible.”
Taube-Schiff suggests teachers address anxiety at the start of the school year in ways such as allowing caregivers to visit the classroom during the first week to check in, as a way of normalizing anxiety and showing support. Similarly, she added that offering drop-in hours at the start of the school year, when these feelings may be heightened, can be helpful.
For young students, a more hands-on approach can be taken - such as learning how to do mindful breathing or journaling within the classroom.
“Engaging students in these types of activities can ground them in the present moment and allow them to 'reset' and tolerate their distress and anxiety,'" Taube-Schiff said.
"Distress tolerance strategies can also help. This could involve taking breaks from the classroom, splashing cold water on one’s face or being able to run up and down the stairs,” she says.
Anxiety Canada, a science-based anxiety relief organization, has also developed a free online course that parents can use to teach children about anxiety and coping tools.
