The Transition Back To School and Mental Health

Have you ever heard the statement that “good stress is still stress”? It makes me think of weddings, moving into a dream home, planning a vacation, and GOING BACK TO SCHOOL! Back-to-school season can be exciting. Picking out new backpacks, wearing new school clothes, meeting the teacher, and seeing friends again. Returning to school can also create anxiety, especially if the school experience is not predominately positive.

Dr. Bruce Perry, Principal of the Neurosequential Network and Professor at Northwestern University (bdperry.com), teaches us that children who have experienced childhood stress and adversity can react strongly to any novelty introduced to them. Any new experience can cause a child to move into a fight, flight or freeze response simply because their brain has been conditioned to recognize novelty as a potential threat. After a summer of being home and settling into the summer routine, transitioning back to school is a brand-new experience.

We can be attuned to behavioral signs of hyper- or hypo-arousal in preparation to help our children with the back-to-school transition. They might become irritable or have a little more trouble concentrating. They may become sullen, have tummy aches, or demonstrate a change in sleep or appetite. They might make it easy on us and be able to verbalize that they are feeling nervous about returning to school.

Here is what we can do to help them with the transition. Dr. Perry teaches that consistency, predictability, and familiarity are some factors that help a child reduce their stress and tolerate change. Consistency might look like incorporating a back-to-school bedtime and morning routine well before school starts so that the child is prepared with this consistent routine beforehand. Helping them predict the new school environment might include showing them around the campus before the first day, introducing them to their teacher, showing them the lunch menu, or helping them identify whom they can go to if they need help. Familiarity might be implemented by sending them to school with a note from home or a picture of their family. It might be letting them wear their school clothes ahead of time to be comfortable. It might be packing a lunch they are accustomed to eating at home.

We can easily overlook the stress our kids might experience with new beginnings. Talk with your child about their feelings and try to implement some strategies to support their transition back to the learning environment. It will save time and energy in the long run, and they will surely appreciate your efforts.