Mental Health Tips for Students and Families Transitioning Back to School
The back to school season can be an exciting time as well as overwhelming for students, caregivers, and their families. With changes in routine, environment, and relationships, students may feel pressure from the transition. And, if they’re entering a new school, new grade, or new class, that stress may be doubled.
Families can feel the strain, too. The change in daily rhythm, relational environment, and demanding schedules can put pressure on families as well.
This strain and pressure may feel uncomfortable, but it is completely normal and natural - especially in seasons of transition such as the start of the school year.
What are seasons of transition?
Transitional seasons can feel tough to navigate, especially because they include a change in situational, relational, and psychological normalcy. Transitions happen whenever our routines, environment, relationships, rhythms, or schedules change in such a way that our lives - to an extent - alter.
In a transition, many things change - what was once normal is now in the past, and a new normal must be established. During these seasons, it’s normal to feel out-of-place, anxious, awkward, or even stressed.
For teens and children, transitional seasons can be even more difficult because they may lack the conceptual language to define or give words to their feelings or experiences. For this reason it's important for families and caregivers to support them by modeling open communication, daily routines, and beneficial mental health practices.
How to navigate seasons of transition
Seasons of transition naturally include a sense of loss, even if the change itself isn’t necessarily “bad,” and can thus feel bittersweet. As one season ends and another begins, those experiencing transition may feel this loss deeply.
As you head into the back to school season, caregivers should be intentional about allowing themselves to grieve the end of the summer months. In addition, talk with your student about allowing themselves to do so as well.
Encourage your student, additionally, to find joy and peace where you are - if not in the season itself, then in individual moments. Practice gratitude, grounding, and finding simple joys in everyday moments.
Additionally, find something - anything - your family can establish as a routine through each and every season. Examples are a card game night once a week, a walk together in the evenings, a 10-minute conversation over breakfast a few times each week, a phone call once a week - something to add stability in routine no matter what around you changes.
How to support students transitioning back to school
Caregivers, learn your student’s love language and speak it daily. Notice how your student wants to talk or spend time with you and reciprocate in kind. Follow their lead and be open to conversation, whatever it may be!
Next, take a moment for yourself. You may have heard it said that you can’t pour from an empty cup, and this adage runs true. Prioritize filling your cup by cultivating joyful living and utilizing mental health practices alongside your student.
Mental health practices to try include seeking blank space, morning routines, meditating, listening to calming music, breathwork, journaling, finding a hobby, and taking a walk. Most importantly, find practices that feel grounding to you and your student - you can take these practices with you through every season, no matter what changes future transitions may bring.