Top tips for the new term for pupils, parents and teachers.

Top tips for the new term for pupils, parents and teachers.

A new term begins.

Another September is here again! Up and down the land parents are preparing school bags, lining up school shoes and getting the camera ready for the first day of term. Teachers are frantically laminating, labelling and putting final preparations together for their lessons. Children of all ages will be having their hair washed and an early night all ready for the big day!

But one common factor for all of these groups will be a sense of nervousness, anxiety and for some, fear!

A new term with a ‘new normal’.

It is not surprising that so many teachers, parents and children will be feeling anxious over the new term because they know that things will not quite be the same as they were. They will be worrying about whether they or their children will be able to cope, whether they are safe and how all of this will impact education and mental health!

So here are some tips to help parents (and their children) and the educational professionals make sure mental wellbeing and a sense of control are maintained for all.

1. Look forward!

Instead of spending time thinking or talking about all of the things you are dreading and not looking forward to, think about what you are!

There is so much to look forward to! Seeing friends and colleagues, learning new things, getting back to the lessons you enjoy and more! Do your mental health and favour and think and look forward to these things (Be careful not to add ‘BUT’ to the end of your thoughts)

By tuning into the things you are looking forward to, you will create more helpful, positive thoughts which will in turn create more helpful, positive feelings! Talk to children about what they are looking forward to most and get them feeling excited about them.

2. Set your attitude for the day.

The night before or in the morning, just take a moment to think about what kind of day you want to have.

Write down three things that you can do to make sure that your day goes well. That might be things like smile when you see a friend/parent/colleague, think about how much you are looking forward to a certain lesson or finding out what the term holds, making plans for the term ahead. ANYTHING that you can be in control of making the day go well.

3. Imagine what you WANT not what you FEAR.

Your imagination is incredibly powerful and is proven to have a physical impact on your body. Therefore, if you spend the night before worrying about how terrible things are going to be, how you won’t be able to cope and how you’re not going to be able to get to sleep because of the thoughts in your head… guess what? That is likely to be how things turn out!

Our imagination always has the habit of playing out the worst case scenarios though. It is not based on fact, or truth. We believe that if we imagine the worst then we can plan to deal with things but how often is that actually the case (almost never!)

What if instead, you imagined all the things you WANT to happen? Making sure you keep reality firmly in view though (ie – if you know you are going to have to wear facemasks, there is little point imagining that you don’t). What if you imagined the children being dropped at the school gate, them being delighted to see their friends and making conversation with people you haven’t seen for ages? Well, if you plan this and tell your brain that this is what you WANT, it is far more likely to happen that way! Even if things don’t go entirely smoothly, you will be in a much better place if you imagine things going well or how you will deal with things calmly and positively yourself. After all. what is the point in creating anxiety about something that hasn’t even happened?

4. Look for the positives.

As you go through the day, look out for all of the little things that are positive. Many of us have built bad habits (especially in staff rooms!) of spotting all the things that have gone wrong, all the “disasters” or stressful events. Don’t. It doesn’t make you feel better. It doesn’t help you to cope and it does nothing for your mental health or emotions (or that of others listening).

Instead, try to find 3 positives in every situation through the day. What was good about Maths? What was nice about playtime? And at the end of the day, take a couple of minutes to reflect on all of the positives that happened. What was the best part of the day? What was a nice surprise? It’ll make you feel good, boost your self-esteem and give you reasons to look forward to the rest of the week/term too!

5. Be Kind.

Kindness costs nothing. You have no idea what other people have been dealing with while lockdown has been happening and maybe you don’t need to know, but you do need to be kind. To friends. to people you don’t know, but most importantly, to yourself.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It only makes you feel bad when you don’t manage it.

Getting support.

Hopefully for many, the first few days of term and the right attitude will provide all the evidence you need that things are going to be fine. However, for some, this may not be the case and they may find themselves building increasing anxiety and symptoms that go with that.

If you or someone you know or if your school/staff would like to know more about how to deal with going back to school or how to support staff or children then please get in touch to find out how Chanya sessions can help. Book a free 30 minute consultation or email info@thinkfertility.co.uk or call 07849 786177