Back To School Tips for Parents of Teens
It’s Back-to-School Time!
Back to school can be a stressful and anxiety-inducing time. A return to early mornings, strict schedules, and the stress associated with learning new class schedules, meeting new teachers, and “fitting in” with peers is common. This stress can be heightened for students transitioning into middle school or high school, indicating the need for additional support from parents or mental health professionals.
Read below for five tips on how to ease this back-to-school transition and support your teens during this time.
Establish a Routine
The importance of establishing consistent routines during the school year cannot be understated. Having a consistent sleep schedule, specifically, can ease the transition of back-to-school, significantly reduce stress, and promote academic success. Parents can maintain a bed-time to keep their teens on track and ensure they get the rest their developing bodies and brains need!
Encourage Organization
Getting back into the swing of heavy homework loads and extracurriculars can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. To help with this, parents can encourage their teens to use a planner to help track assignments and deadlines to reduce stress.
Practice Self-Care
Practicing self-care is essential and promotes positive mental health and a healthy work/school-life balance. With the demands associated with returning to school, ensure you and your teen take breaks, prioritize healthy eating habits and exercise, and engage in hobbies you enjoy!
Have Weekly Check-Ins
The stress and anxiety associated with the return to school can sometimes be too much for children and teens to handle. To reduce the risk of developing more severe mental health issues, parents should check-in with their kids to assess their emotional well-being and ability to cope. Watch out for warning signs such as increased irritability, changes in sleep patterns (including having trouble sleeping or sleeping more than usual), isolation from friends and family, changes in eating behavior, declining self-care or personal hygiene, and participation in high-risk behaviors like drug or alcohol use. For more support, seek out professional help. Our Pathways Community Counseling Center offers affordable mental health counseling services to assist with life’s challenges. Contact us today to get connected with a therapist.
Have Discussions About Healthy Coping and Drug Use
Teens who experience a lot of stress and anxiety often turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate and cope with life problems. Additionally, back-to-school time can increase the risk of peer pressure to engage in drug use. To reduce this risk, parents should regularly discuss the dangers of substance use, alternative coping skills, and practice drug refusal. Our Juvenile Alcohol and Drug Education (JADE) program is a great opportunity for parents and teens to learn about the risks of underage substance use and get connected with the resources they need!
Questions, Schedule a Counseling Session, or Need to Enroll Call: (949) 303-9016
Written By: Aspen Dyer, ACSW
