Returning to School Tips
Where did summer’s school vacation go? It’s easy to ask that question each year, and even more so now in 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns have had parents and teens on edge. Well, whole families and communities have been that way. Now the time has come to return to school, doing so in hopes that it will be more like it was pre-lockdown/pandemic.
Ever since your teen was small, there were steps to take to have as smooth a transition into the school year as possible. That’s still the case and is especially so this year! So, let’s talk about what to anticipate as that helps you and your teen to prepare.
Changes, and More!
Yes, it is true that one given in anyone’s life is that change will happen. Sometimes it’s planned and at other times it comes fairly out of the blue! Think of some of the changes your teen may experience on their return to school:
This might be a new school if you moved or your teen is transitioning from middle to high school.
Friends may have moved or are now being home-schooled.
Teachers and coaches your teen was hoping to have may also have had life or career changes.
School policies related to transmissible illnesses may be different, altering your family’s routines, such as home testing for Covid symptoms.
Your teen got their license and is now ready to drive to school.
Sports season has already started with summer practice and both you and your teen are planning for that, or for other extracurricular activities.
Balancing Routines with Realities
You and your child have learned the value that routines have in your lives. So you stick with those as much as possible, all the while realizing that some days, or weeks, don’t work out as planned. That’s why you’ve come to rely on DBT skills. They sure help out when life’s reality of change throws a wrench in established routines.
So, let’s discuss tips and steps to use when plans go awry. We'll then end with the reminder of the value of simple routines. After all, those have been disrupted for so many families, it will take time to get back into routine rhythm.
DBT Quick Tips & Tools
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) helps your teen and you to learn various skills that can be practiced over time. Yes, they’re for you too! As you practice these with your child, you’ll gain the benefits of the methods presented here. The outcome any of us hope for in using these methods is a reduction in stress and anxiety and a feeling of improved emotional balance.
Distress Tolerance tips include ways to limit feelings of stress. Those can be caused by meeting new people, being in crowds, hearing or being bullied, or feeling uptight about an upcoming test or assignment. Tips for easing feelings of distress to share with your teen are:
Exercising--even 10-15 minutes can help, plus regular physical activity can reduce overall distress.
Being aware of their senses and changing anything that causes discomfort, like cooling down when feeling overheated. Even a few sips of a cold drink or running hands in cool water helps.
Focus on something else to lessen the intensity of what’s on their mind. Music, artwork, and a change of scenery are steps that can shift attention away from the feeling of overwhelm.
Concentrating on the breath with its inhaling and exhaling can soften stress. Doing so can work really well with one of these other tips, like focusing on breathing while taking a quick walk or run.
Being able to shift into Wise Mind gives teens the chance to explore what’s going on and how it makes them feel. They learn through observing their responses. To do this guide your child to:
Think about the emotions they’re having, like envy, fear, or extreme excitement. Doing a quick body scan helps to figure out where in their body they feel tension. This is a tipoff that it’s time to observe what’s going on around them that’s stressful.
Shift to reasonable mind where they watch what’s happening that’s troubling. It could be too much noise, light, or a nasty odor.
Once they know the cause of tension or anxiety, it’s time to take steps to improve things. That might be getting away from the noise or wearing ear plugs.
Steps like these build confidence as your teen learns that even taking small steps can make them feel better.
Daily Routines Help Your Teen’s Return to School
Let’s face it, getting up at the same time every day and going to bed every night at the same time can seem so boring. The same goes for all those habits that are good for your child but can seem like such a drag. Like brushing and flossing, or daily and weekly chores. Added to that, it seems as though just about everyone in their life says how good it is to exercise regularly and to turn off electronics way before bed.
The truth is there are benefits to doing these things that seem so mundane and really like ho-hum busy work! Here’s a quick idea of why:
Daily and weekly routines at home, school, and work give people structure.
Knowing what to expect can keep surprises and shocks to a minimum.
Routines actually help with developing skills and gaining a sense of accomplishment.
Building their own set of routines brings on an important feeling of control in your child’s life. That can be seemingly simple things like:
Setting aside a few minutes during the day to do something they love!
Trying out practices like mindfulness or yoga and integrating sessions into each week.
Find ways to create some personal routines at school. These can be just a couple of minutes, like regularly taking a break for water or a breath of fresh air.
Here at Mindful Healing we explore ways to make life transitions, like returning to school, as positive as possible for your teen and you.
