Practice Those Deep Breaths
When people slow down their breathing, they slow down their brain. When I notice that one of my kids is struggling with anxiety, Ill often lead the whole class in a breathing exercise. It helps the child who is overwhelmed and usually a few other kids too. Sometimes, Ill do it just because the whole class is squirrelly and we need to focus. Slow, deep breaths are the key. This article about belly breathing describes the process I like to use with my kids. It works every single time.
Create A Distracting Game For Yourself
One of the hardest parts about knowing what to do when you have a panic attack at school is the fact that many of our panic-reduction methods are limited there.
However, several of these methods are difficult, if not impossible, to apply to the classroom setting.
Think about it:
Youre stuck in your seat. You cant move. You cant talk. You cant use your phone.
It’s an agoraphobe’s nightmare!
One of the few things you can do is redirect your attention.
During a panic attack, your attention focuses inward. The voice in your head assaults your own sanity.
The best way to calm yourself down, is to find a way to direct your focus outward, to something else.
Obviously at this point youre not paying attention to the lesson anymore, so what else can we focus on?
Try and create a game that you play in class that does a reasonable job of distracting you. Whats effective will vary from person to person.
Can you find an object in the room that starts with the letter A? How about the letter B? The letter C? Theres a distracting game for you.
How many little holes are in that ceiling tile? Lost count at 78? Start over. Isnt this fun?
Not really, but the point is to get your attention focused on something other than your panic attack.
Write a poem, draw a cool sword, trace a hand-turkey in your notebook youll figure it out.
These are just some random examples I thought of on the spot, but any distracting game will do.
Experiment a bit and see what works for you.
Anxiety: What It Is What To Do
- By Francesca Coltrera, Editor, Harvard Health Blog
While anxiety symptoms vary widely, odds are good that at some point youve experienced occasional physical and emotional distress signals such as panicky breathing, your heart pounding in your chest, trouble sleeping, feelings of dread, or even loops of worry. Thats normal.
Experiencing anxiety is normal, says Dr. Gene Beresin, executive director of the Clay Center for Healthy Young Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. A certain amount of anxiety can even be helpful. The problem is that sometimes the systems underlying our anxiety responses get dysregulated, so that we overreact or react to the wrong situations.
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Signs Of Anxiety In The Classroom
Anxiety disorders represent one of the major groups of disorders seen in mental health.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition , anxiety disorders include those disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances:
- generalized anxiety disorder
- anxiety disorder due to another medical condition.
In the school environment, anxiety may manifest as:
- school refusal, a child-initiated refusal to attend school or difficulty remaining in class for the full day
- test anxiety, extreme stress, anxiety, and discomfort before and/or during taking a test
- social anxiety, an irrational anxiety, fear, self-consciousness and embarrassment, caused by everyday social interactions
The first two are not classified as disorders in the DSM, but they are an undeniable cause of emotional distress that also lead into school attendance difficulties.
Signs of student anxiety may be at times dismissed as behavioral issues or other health-related issues.
These are some of the warning signs that you may encounter in your classroom:
What Sources Of Support/resources Are You Aware Of That Can Support Children And Parents
There are an increasing amount of digital tools to help children and young people with anxiety in school and in general. I fear that a very human process can not be replaced by technology and we run a real risk by trying to do so.
The basic building blocks of support are giving both teachers and parents confidence, helping them understand and signposting and resources in wider community, Training in the management and delivery of ehcp, knowing the roles and responsibilities of LAs etc.
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How Can Anxiety Impact Relationships
Relationships often present challenges that require communication and compromise. If youâre struggling with anxiety, these challenges can be amplified, and may feel harder to manage.
Relationship expert Laurel Steinberg, PhD, tells O.school that people who have anxiety may âstruggle to handle new stressors that come their way, can result in couples arguing much more than they otherwise would, or could cause people to shut down and withdraw from their partners.â
Knight agrees that anxiety can lead to withdrawal and a lack of connection: âAnxiety causes avoidance, which in turn can place a strain on your relationship.â
If anxiety is impacting your relationship, it may be helpful to keep in mind that itâs totally normal to experience challenges in partnership. Acknowledging that all relationships have ups and downs and giving yourself permission to take care of your mental health can help you to move forward without blaming your partner or yourself.
What Is Separation Anxiety Disorder In Children
All children and teens feel some anxiety. It is a normal part of growing up. Separation anxiety is normal in very young children. Nearly all children between the ages of 18 months and 3 years old have separation anxiety and are clingy to some degree. But the symptoms of SAD are more severe. A child must have symptoms of SAD for at least 4 weeks for the problem to be diagnosed as SAD. A child with SAD has worries and fears about being apart from home or family that are not right for his or her age.
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Consider Getting A 504 Plan
A 504 plan is a plan for accommodations for a physical or mental disability. If your child has a medical diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, a 504 plan may help them to access a higher level of classroom accommodations than without such a plan. It also helps to ensure that any modifications that are agreed on will be followed by the school.
Why Do We Take Tests
If teachers know that students get stressed out about tests, why do they still give them? Believe it or not, both teachers and students benefit from tests. Tests measure how well students are learning the skills and information their teachers have been teaching them and teachers learn if they need to present information in a way that is better for students to understand.
And tests are a part of life from the driving test you’ll take one day to the test you’ll take if you decide you want to be a doctor.
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What Do We Know About Anxiety In College
Its common. Anxiety in college is very common. According to the American College Health Association Fall 2018 National College Health Assessment, 63% of college students in the US felt overwhelming anxiety in the past year. In the same survey, 23% reported being diagnosed or treated by a mental health professional for anxiety in the past year.
The sharpest increase in anxiety occurs during the initial transition to college. A recent study demonstrated that psychological distress among college students that is, their levels of anxiety, depression, and stress rises steadily during the first semester of college and remains elevated throughout the second semester. This suggests that the first year of college is an especially high-risk time for the onset or worsening of anxiety.
Its caused by many factors. Many factors contribute to the heightened risk for anxiety among college students. For example, sleep disruption caused by drinking excess caffeine and pulling all-nighters is associated with increased anxiety among college students. Loneliness also predicts mental health problems, including anxiety. Academic factors like school stress and disengagement from studies are also associated with psychological distress among college students.
What Makes Anxiety Happen
Well, because we can’t outlaw tests, we might as well figure out how to ease test anxiety. Anxiety is a feeling a person gets when he or she expects something stressful to happen. When you’re under stress, your body releases the hormone adrenaline, which prepares it for danger, like when you’re running away from your older brother! Adrenaline causes the physical symptoms, such as sweating, a pounding heart, and fast breathing. These symptoms can be mild or intense.
Focusing on the bad things that could happen can make a kid feel more worried. A kid might think, “What if I forget everything I know?” or “What if the test is too hard?” Too many thoughts like these don’t leave much room in your mind to concentrate on remembering the answers to the test questions. People with test anxiety can also feel stressed out by the physical reaction and think things like “What if I throw up?” or “Oh no, my hands are shaking.”
These thoughts can get the person even more upset, making the anxiety even stronger. Now, the person feels worse and is even more distracted and unable to concentrate.
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Get Help Finding Treatment
Here are tools to find a healthcare provider familiar with treatment options:
- Psychologist Locatorexternal icon, a service of the American Psychological Association Practice Organization.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Finderexternal icon, a research tool by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry .
- Find a Cognitive Behavioral Therapistexternal icon, a search tool by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
- If you need help finding treatment facilities, visit MentalHealth.govexternal icon.
Giving Instructions And Assignments
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Clearly state and/or write down classroom expectations and consequences.
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Break down assignments into smaller chunks.
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Check in frequently for understanding and emotional temperature.
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Provide a signal before calling on the student and a signal for the student to opt out of answering.
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Offer written instructions in addition to spoken directions.
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Exempt the student from reading aloud or demonstrating work in front of the class.
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Let the student present projects to the teacher instead of to the entire class.
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What Can We Do To Support A Child With School Anxiety
Although ultimately there is a long list of things we could do, the most important thing is to make the child feel safe, to trust in our support and allow them to lead the process. Parents are the biggest source of support in the childs life. I think its important to remember this. Theyre probably already very stressed. Schools should not add to this by threatening nonattendance penalties, visiting their home without warning, sending intimidating letters. Give parents the info they tell you they need to support their children. Then do absolutely what you promised the parents as they are likely to have coached and reassured on those terms.
We need to appreciate that both parties want what is best for the child. If you dont kid loses faith in parents and disempowers them from supporting. One of the suggested approaches that I thought would be particularly helpful was to tell the parent of issues before they collect the child at the end of day. That reduces the likelihood that the child will overhear and suffer another blow to their self esteem. It also means the parent can be emotionally available to the child. Make sure everything from the school day can be straightened out before the end of the school day. We dont want a scared child at bedtime when its too late to know facts or help them feel calm
Engaging Parents
Staff Interactions
Key strategies to support a child with school anxiety
Test Anxiety Symptoms Causes And Treatments
If you or a loved one are struggling with an anxiety disorder, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
Many people experience stress or anxiety before an exam. In fact, a little nervousness can actually help you perform your best. However, when this distress becomes so excessive that it actually interferes with performance on an exam, it is known as test anxiety.
What does it feel like to experience test anxiety? You paid attention in class, took detailed notes, read every chapter, and even attended extra study sessions after class, so you should do great on that big exam, right?
When the test is presented, however, you find yourself so nervous that you blank out the answers to even the easiest questions. If this experience sounds familiar, then you might be experiencing test anxiety.
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How To Deal With School When Youre A Depressed Or Anxious Teen
Its a common trope that youre supposed to be moody and stressed out as a teen, but for many of us, any normal angst turns into serious problems when combined with anxiety or depression. In fact, according to one study, up to 20 percent of teenagers experience depression, while other research found almost 32 percent of teens suffer anxiety.
Of course, school is a major stressor. It takes up your entire day, then requires long hours spent on homework or extracurricular activities. For most teens, school is a requirement if not exactly required by law, then at least required by the parents or people you depend on. Anxiety or depression make school an even greater challenge.
What Kind Of Anxiety Disorder Do You Have
As with every health issue, an accurate diagnosis is essential. A few common anxiety disorders include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder: A pattern of excessive worry about a variety of issues on most days for at least six months, often accompanied by physical symptoms, such as muscle tension, a hammering heart, or dizziness.
- Social anxiety disorder: Feeling significant anxiety in social situations or when called on to perform in front of others, such as in public speaking.
- Phobias: A particular animal, insect, object, or situation causes substantial anxiety.
- Panic disorder: Panic attacks are sudden, intense episodes of heart-banging fear, breathlessness, and dread. Its the feeling youd have if you just missed being hit by a Mack truck but for people with panic disorder there is no Mack truck, says Dr. Beresin.
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