Back to School Anxiety

The “Back to School Anxiety” Blues

If your kiddo is back at school, there is the chance that she might have some “back to school anxiety.” New teachers, a new classroom and a ton of kids running around in a place that she’s basically stuck in for many hours can give any kid anxiety, and all the more so if your child is prone to emotional issues.
Your kiddo might have physical symptoms related to her anxiety, including headaches or stomach upset. Or you could be dealing with defiance, tantrums and separation anxiety.

What You Can Do To Help

• Try your best to keep your kiddo in school. Missing days of school isn’t going to help the situation; this will actually reinforce her anxiety.
• Talk to your child as much as possible about her fears and feelings around going to school. Ask if there is something in particular that’s bothering her at school.
• Mention the fun and positive aspects of going to school, like learning fun new things, playing with friends and meeting new kids.
• Arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher so she knows about the challenges that your child is going through.
• Encourage hobbies outside of school, they will build self confidence.
• Don’t forget how brave your child is! The world can be a scary place for a kid. Praise her bravery!

Effective Natural Solutions

There are some really great and effective natural solutions to ease your kiddo’s anxiety. Here are a few you can try, all safe for little ones:

Bach Remedies

These remedies are made from flowers and can relieve minor cases of anxiety. They are solutions of brandy and water with very diluted amounts of different flowers that have healing properties. Rescue Remedy is their most popular product, meant to produce calm and relaxed feelings in acute situations. Other Bach Remedies effective for anxiety include:

Larch: Great for kiddos who need a boost of self-esteem.

Elm: Helps when life seems to be totally overwhelming.

White Chestnut: Helps to clear a cluttered mind.

Impatiens: Aids those who are in need of patience.

Sweet Chestnut: Helps when you need more mental endurance than you seem to have.

Cherry Plum: Effective in calming you down when you feel you are doing to totally lose it. Great for anger management, too.

Sleep

Make sure your child is sleeping enough – It’s really difficult to come out of the free-for-all of summer and then have to get on a strict schedule, but it’s worth it. Hopefully you were able to slowly get back on a school schedule regarding sleep, but if not, it’s never to late to start. Kids need a sufficient amount of uninterrupted sleep, including age-appropriate naps. When kids don’t have enough sleep, it can affect their daytime attentiveness and cognitive function over the long term.

[bctt tweet=”Kids need a sufficient amount of uninterrupted sleep, otherwise cognitive function may be compromised.” username=”ourkidsthrive”]

Aromatherapy

Essential oils are an important part of any parent’s arsenal. The best oils to combat anxiety include:

Bergamot Citrus bergamia
Bergamot, a delicate citrus botanical, uplifts, calms and rejuvenates. This oil reduces feelings of stress and soothes anxiety and sadness, and even reduces blood pressure and heart rate.

Clary Sage Salvia sclarea
Clary sage has relaxing, balancing, antidepressant and soothing properties. It can also help your children (and you!) get a good night of restful sleep. It’s especially effective during high-stress situations.

Lavender Lavendula angustifolia
The ever-popular lavender oil has been used for centuries and for many different purposes. This gentle oil eases tension and stress and promotes peaceful sleep, calm and relaxation.

DoTerra Serenity Calming Blend
DoTerra has created a proprietary blend of essential oils that work together to create a calming, relaxing, soothing atmosphere that releases tension and stress. The ingredients are Lavender Flower, Sweet Marjoram Leaf, Roman Chamomile Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Hawaiian Sandalwood essential oils and Vanilla Bean Absolute

Tea Time!

Catnip and chamomile are great herbs for kids!

Introduce your children to the ritual of tea time and brew them up. The whole act of sitting and siping on a cup of warm tea is relaxing.
Natural Calm, a bioavailability form of magnesium, can be life-altering. Magnesium is often a nutrient that most Westerners are highly deficient in and it also promotes calm and relaxing feelings.

Is back to school anxiety an issue in your home? What tips and tricks do you have to help your little one deal better with going back to school?