As a new school year begins, some students and even some parents may start to feel anxious about leaving summer behind and getting back into the school routine. Christine Harrison, a registered psychotherapist at Focus Forward Health, told CTV Your Morning Ottawa on Monday that some anxiety is normal for everyone. “Anxiety isn’t something to fear,” she said. Harrison said many parents’ first instinct is to reassure their children that everything will be all right, but she suggested that, instead, they should open a conversation. “Maybe ask, what are you worried about? Have that conversation. What’s worrying you the most about this?” Keeping a solid routine during the transition is important, Harrison said, for both parents and children. “Back to school can be anxiety-provoking for parents too, and our little ones feel our anxiety. So routine is really important for bigs to littles. Routine makes us feel safe, so keep regular bedtime, keep regular wake time, and mealtime as a family is really important,” she said. Unexpected changes in your child’s behaviour are signs that something may be troubling them, Harrison added. “We want to watch for big shifts. You know your child best, so, shifts in mood, clinginess, appetite change, maybe school refusal,” she said. “Maybe they’ve lost interest in things they were doing before.” Harrison said September is often a time to “reset” and it doesn’t have to be a whirlwind of activity. “It’s the start of a new year, we’re all programmed to start over, and parents get their calendar out and they say, ‘Okay, I’m going to go ahead and I’m going to book them in swimming, in soccer, in hockey.’ September doesn’t have to be overscheduled. In fact, I would recommend pausing and kind of protecting that family time and allowing them to adjust to the new school year,” she said. Instead of booking schedules right away, a bit of extra time with a routine can help kids settle in. “We don’t need to go from zero to 100. That would make any of us anxious.” Students in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board return to classes on Tuesday. Ottawa’s French public and Catholic school boards returned last week.
