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School stress affects most children at some point. Whether it's relationship problems with classmates, friends, or anxiety problems for various exams, when one trigger is removed, another trigger may suddenly appear.
For most people in life, stress is almost inevitable. But most children often don't know how to cope with the pressure from school, which can make it harder for some students to concentrate, interfering with students' motivation and performance, which can lead to a decline in their academic performance — potentially further increasing stress levels.
However, how to deal with the pressure of children's school? In this regard, Professor Rong Xinqi, an expert in new concept psychology, will discuss it with you.
Signs of stress and anxiety in school
Not everyone experiences stress and anxiety in the same way. For example, while some children may have headaches, some children may feel abdominal pain and nausea.
Stress in a child can manifest as physical symptoms and behaviors, and the signs of stress can also be obvious or subtle. Some of the easily identifiable include irritability and anxious behaviors. Other signs are less pronounced, such as muscle pain.
Physical symptoms
When a child is in pain, there is always a physical reason to consider first, and there is nothing wrong with that. But sometimes, pain can be a response to stress. For example, muscle pain may be caused by a neurobiological response to stress triggering muscle tension.
Signs of stress in your child may include muscle pain, headache, nausea, or stomach pain.
behavior
Children's behavioral stress responses may be these: moodiness, insomnia, social withdrawal, decreased motivation, decreased self-control, and lack of concentration.
Warning flags
Experiencing stress can make your child feel confused and uncomfortable. Some children, especially adolescents, may exhibit unhealthy coping strategies, which can also be indicators of stress, such as:
Procrastination;
Avoidance behavior;
Sleep too much;
Smoking or vaping;
Substance abuse;
Eat too much or too little;
Excessive use of social media, etc.
At home, signs of stress may not always be obvious. Teachers and school counselors may inform parents about stress-related behaviors that may look like this:
Antagonistic behavior;
Absenteeism;
Task avoidance;
Class interruption;
Peer conflict;
Vandalism;
Mood swings;
Leaving the classroom without authorization;
・ Suffer bullying, etc.
Behavior is often only a small part of the reasons behind it. When it comes to signs of stress in school, it's important to see the real reasons behind your child.
For example, social withdrawal doesn't always reflect stress. Children who prefer to be alone may simply be introverted or may have autism disorder.
Causes of school stress
Many situations can cause your child to be stressed out of school. Common school stressors include: exams, deadlines, amount of assignments, course or assignment difficulty, peer pressure, teacher stress, etc.
What bothers one person may not affect others — a student who is stressed out about speaking may be a confident test taker; one student may be worried about math while another student is afraid of physical education class.
For some students, the simple act of "being late for class" can cause extreme anxiety.
Less obvious reason
Sometimes, the source of stress is obvious to both students and parents. The upcoming test is one such example. Other times, it's not as obvious. How can there be stress in an assignment that is too easy? For a genius or talented student who is not challenged, boredom can be a cause of stress.
Differences in the pace of teaching can also lead to stress. For some students, the pace is too fast; for others, it's too slow, which can make it difficult to stay focused.
Feeling overloaded can also lead to stress. Fluorescent lights, chattering sounds, and ubiquitous movements can all increase the cognitive burden on students who are already challenged by their assignments.
Chronic and acute stress
School stress can be chronic or acute.
Chronic stress is persistent, like worrying about getting into the university of your choice. Acute stress is intense but short-lived, such as embarrassment in front of peers.
Off-campus reasons
Many students also experience stress outside of school.
Some children's lives are fraught with chronic and acute stressors, both in and out of the classroom. Some of the causes of off-campus stress may include:
Over-scheduling extracurricular activities, such as interest classes and cram classes;
Social accidents (such as intrusions by social persons);
Family stressors (e.g., parents divorced, relatives die, etc.);
Parents have excessively high expectations and goals.
Sleep deprivation
Over-scheduling, combined with premature school hours, is another source of stress in school – lack of sleep.
In 2015, a sleep analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that students' lack of sleep at night is a common problem among middle school students in the United States. This phenomenon also exists in our Chinese student body, and it is even more serious.
According to the analysis, 57.8% of 6-8 graders slept less than 9 hours, while 72.7% of 9-12 students slept less than 8 hours.
The American Association of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) Sleep Needs Guidelines for School-Age Children recommend:
3-5 years old: sleep time should reach 10-13 hours per day;
6-12 years old: sleep time should reach 9-12 hours per day;
13-18 years old: Sleep time should reach 8-10 hours per day.
This means that lack of sleep may cause some students to feel stressed before school starts.
7 ways children can cope with stress at school
Learning effective coping strategies can make it easier for students and parents to manage school stress.
1. Self-care
Teaching children self-care by helping them develop habits that focus on health and wellness can help counteract the effects of stress.
Some basic forms of self-care include: a reasonable and healthy diet, regular exercise, rest and regular sleep habits.
Self-care can also include being close to nature. Starting in 2020, multiple studies support the link between green time and better mental health. Places of green time can include: parks, green spaces, gardens, forests, etc.
Positive social relationships are also an important part of mental health. Homework and school activities can easily take up a child's schedule, so it's important to make time for family and friends.
2. Relax
Whether in the moments before the exam or after a peer conflict, relaxation strategies can help students maintain control over stress to prevent stress from escalating.
3. Balance
Over-scheduling and school activities can sometimes take up a child's daily life. Parents can help by teaching their children about the balance between school and life.
Providing and supporting "brain breaks," such as creative hobbies and unstructured play, can help reduce stress in children.
4. Growth mindset
Sometimes, students' ideas can put the most stress on them, and practicing stress-reducing thinking can help.
Living peacefully with less than perfect grades and recognizing that everyone has different strengths is an example of this mindset. Other useful ideas include: "The way we learn is wrong," "It doesn't matter if I don't finish it first every time," "I just haven't learned this yet," "I just need to improve a little bit every day, even a point," and so on.
5. Organizational strategy
Jobs can be overwhelming, especially when multiple doors are due or multiple tests are scheduled within the same time frame.
Procrastination may be part of the human race, but it usually makes stress worse. Consider breaking down the big tasks into smaller pieces and doing them individually. This is known as "chunking" and can help make large projects look less intimidating.
Homework schedules can provide students with a plan for handling blocks of assignment, and it may also make it easier to study exams in advance, rather than rote memorization at the last minute.
"Chunking" and using tools like "homework schedules" are just two of the many ways students organize themselves to reduce academic stress.
6. Ask for help and support
Knowing when and how to ask for help is a valuable life skill. Help is usually all around us, whether it's yours: teachers, peers, parents, psychology teachers, friends, etc.
Sometimes it's easier to deal with stress even if it's just to connect with classmates who may have had the same experience.
7. Psychological counseling
If school stress becomes too much to deal with on your own, contacting a counselor may be helpful. A counselor can usually help you identify the triggers of stress and teach you effective coping strategies.
School stress is common for students of any age. But for children and teens, stress can be confusing and uncomfortable. Many aspects of school life can be stressful, and children don't always know how to deal with these stresses and the emotions that come with them.
If you feel that you are unable to help your child or that your child may benefit from counselling or treatment, please seek the help of a professional counselor in a timely manner.
Stress is often a part of everyone's life, but learning how to manage it early is "beneficial and harmless" to the physical and mental health development of children.
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Text: Consultant Hong