Anxiety is a common experience for students of all ages, especially as they navigate school, friendships, and personal challenges. Middle school can be an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming for students. Feeling anxious when facing new challenges such as friendships, a busy schedule, or preparing for tests are a few examples. While some stress can motivate and build resilience, too much can affect focus, confidence, and well-being. We can all help our students recognize and manage anxiety in healthy ways. Strategies like deep breathing, time management, and positive self-talk are a few things that can make a big difference. Encouraging open conversations at home can also provide valuable support. Anxiety becomes a concern when it starts to interfere with daily life, causing students to avoid activities, lose focus, or feel physically unwell.
As a parent or caregiver, you can help by:
Listening actively: Encourage open conversations about feelings.
Teaching coping skills: Deep breathing, exercise, or journaling can help manage stress. Students can use the Box Breathing Technique anywhere!
Reinforcing strengths: Highlight their achievements and abilities.
Focus on what they can control: If your student is worried about an upcoming test, remind them that they can’t control which questions are on the test but can control how they prepare.
As a parent/caregiver, we recommend not saying:
“Stop worrying.” It is almost impossible for our students to stop worrying. There is not a switch that can be turned off and on.
“This isn’t a big deal.”
“It’s fine.”
Remember, anxiety is a normal feeling. However, if your child seems to be worrying constantly and/or if it is affecting their functioning, it may be helpful to consider outside help. Please reach out if I can provide additional support.
Advisory Lessons
In this month’s advisory lessons, students wrote letters to veterans. In addition, they talked about conflict resolution, managing negative thoughts, digital citizenship, and nominated peers for World Kindness Day!