There are many aspects of school, such as homework requirements, test anxiety, social challenges, and college planning, that can be stressful for students. As a parent, it is important to recognize signs of stress and what may be causing them, so that you can work on managing them. It may be as simple as dropping an activity, or it may take something like over the counter ADHD medication for child to ease your child’s stress.
Strategies To Alleviate Stress
Common signs of stress include procrastination, stomach aches, not wanting to attend school, trouble sleeping, and headaches. If stress is not managed effectively, it can have negative impacts on home life, academics, and social life.
Prioritize Tasks
If your child has a full schedule, sit down and rank daily tasks from most important to least important. The child should finish the important ones first. Time management strategies may be beneficial to complete them all, or it may be good to drop some of the lower prioritized ones.
Have a Reasonable Structured Schedule
Having a schedule is good for focus and organization. However, having a schedule that is too busy can be a source of stress.
Make Time for Fun Activities
All children, no matter what their age, benefit from fun and relaxation. For some kids, adding in an extracurricular activity or two may be the key. For others, cutting down on the number of activities may be what is necessary. Your child should have some downtime every day.
Have Consistent Routines
Having a consistent routine in the morning and before bed can do a lot to reduce stress. A bedtime routine sets a cutoff time for homework, reduces screen time, and allows for relaxation before getting a good night of sleep. A morning routine sets the foundation for a less chaotic and more organized day.
Medication
If you suspect your child’s stress may be due to anxiety, or is causing anxiety, you may want to research non prescription anxiety meds. Homeopathic ones help reduce symptoms without the negative side effects found with prescription medication.
Open Conversations
Being able to openly communicate with your child is important not only in recognizing stress, but also in identifying the stressors. This allows you to more effectively determine the best management strategies. Ask open-ended questions that are specific, such as:
- What was your favorite class today?
- What did you find difficult (or easy) about your English test today?
- Who did you play with at recess?
- How did your speech go today?
These questions allow you to follow up with additional questions so you can learn more. Having open conversations allows both of you to open up about what is going on. Also, the more you know, the more you may be able to identify a more serious problem. For example, you may discover ADHD symptoms in 13 year olds, so you can seek proper treatment. Or you may discover that someone is bullying your child, and you can reach out to the school so it can be resolved.
