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Overcome school worries: Expert tips to support your child and help keep them in class.

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date27 March 2024
Publication titleLoughborough Echo
Doctor Sophie Mort, clinical psychologist and mental health expert at Headspace says: 'It's understandable that children can resist going to school when anxieties are heightened, and it's often hard for parents to know whether to allow them to stay at home or encourage them to feel the fear and go in anyway. Being open and sharing experiences of when you have struggled can help your children. "Kids and teens frequently experience a lot of stress and feelings of high pressure, and in many cases, don't yet have the tools to understand or process these complex emotions. And whilst children are navigating the challenges of getting older, school can be a hard place to be both physically and mentally. Perhaps they're becoming more conscious of their appearance, or of their different upbringings, or maybe they just see the world in a different way." To help you to gain a better understanding of what could be driving your child's worry and gently encourage them to talk it through, enabling them to keep going to school, there are tips advice and resources available

TiPS for PARENTS froM Dr SoPHiE • appreciate that kids' worries are normal: Children can experience feelings of anxiety to varying extents, and some much worse than others. It's important to understand each child's symptoms and responses to anxiety. Once you have an understanding into how they feel at specific moments, then you can start to help.

• Learn to recognise your own worries as a parent: Being open and sharing experiences of when you have struggled in the past will ultimately help your children understand that they are not the only ones with these feelings, and therefore, they may find it easier to open up. Your anxiety can sometimes rub off on your children, so try to remain calm in the way that you interact with them. • Take advantage of the resources available: From books and online resources to apps and IRL ('in real life') support groups, there are so many resources at hand to consult when you are looking for ways to best support your child. Your local bookshop can be a great place to start, or search mental health websites such as Headspace, which has a number of free resources available. The article titled 'How to beat school stress from the top down' is a great example. The Department for Education has also collated free resources in one place, which can be accessed on the Education Hub.

• Try family meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises: For those needing in-the-moment...

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