Back To School Wellness

William S. Hart Union High School District

Welcome Back Parents & Students!

Welcome back parents and students! We hope you had a restful summer break and are recharged to start this school year. As summer winds down, be on the lookout for shifts in behavior, mood, emotions and/or frustration tolerance from your teen. As the school year begins, the majority of teens have a difficult time processing these changes and getting back into a school routine. They tend to manifest their shifts in emotions through behavioral changes. Some teens may feel nervous or anxious to be starting school and others could be happy to be back. It's important to be mindful of how students are doing and how they are handling all these new changes.

Managing Back to School Stress

A survey by American Psychological Association found that stress was extremely common among teenagers: 83% of the teens surveyed said school was a significant or somewhat significant source of stress. Below are some statics to keep in mind of the stressors students encounter.

How Teens can manage stress

Sleep well. Sleep is essential for physical and emotional well-being. Experts recommend 9-12 hours of sleep a night for 6-12 year olds. Teens need 8-10 hours a night. Sleep needs to be a priority to keep stress in check, limit screen use at night and avoid keeping digital devices in the bedroom.

Exercise. Physical activity is an essential stress reliever for people of all ages. It's recommended at least 60 minutes a day of activity for children ages 6 to 17.

Talk it out. Talking about stressful situations with a trusted adult can help kids and teens put things in perspective and find solutions.

Make time for fun — Set unstructured time for yourself to do things you enjoy.

Get outside. Spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall well-being.

Write about it. Writing can help reduce mental distress and improve well-being. For example, writing about positive feelings—such as the things you’re grateful for or proud of — can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Learn mindfulness. Practice deep breathing, have awareness of your body,

How can parents help

Model healthy coping. Parents can talk with children about how they’ve thought about and dealt with their own stressful situations.

Reinforce your teen’s ability to cope. Give your teen a few strategies to manage difficult situations on their own. Many teens find talking with a trusted friend, adult, or therapist, journaling, exercising and listening to and/or playing music to be helpful ways of coping with stress.

Let kids be problem-solvers. It’s natural to want to fix your child’s problems. But when parents swoop in to solve every little glitch, their children don’t have a chance to learn healthy coping skills. Let your children try to solve their low-stakes problems on their own, and they’ll gain confidence that they can deal with stressors and setbacks.

Promote media literacy. Today’s kids spend a lot of time online, where they can run into questionable content, cyberbullying or the peer pressures of social media. Parents can help by teaching their children to be savvy digital consumers, and by limiting screen time.

Combat negative thinking. “I’m terrible at math.” “I hate my hair.” “I’ll never make the team. Why try out?” Children and teens can easily fall into the trap of negative thinking. When children use negative self-talk, though, don’t just disagree. Ask them to really think about whether what they say is true, or remind them of times they worked hard and improved. Learning to frame things positively will help them develop resilience to stress.

Back to School Tips!

Check in with your counselor- They can help keep you on track with your college admissions process and ensure you’re on track to graduate. Stop and check in to make sure you’re on the right path to achieving your goals, at the very minimum, each semester.
Set semester goals-How do you know where you’re headed if you haven’t mapped out a goal plan for yourself? Create concrete goals for this (and each) semester to work towards achieving. Try to include your classes, the college admissions process and applying for scholarships within your goals. Talk with your parents and peers about your goals. If we verbalize them to others, this can be another form of accountability.
Get to know your teachers (you’ll need recommendation letters soon!)-Start the semester out on a good note with your teachers and talk to them before, during (through class participation) and after class. Remember, you’ll need teachers who know your unique personality when it comes time for recommendation letters.
Map out deadlines, due dates and other important reminders in your schedule-Whether you decide to utilize an agenda, a calendar, or your phone, make use of some sort of planner to keep track of important dates and deadlines from syllabi, standardized testing dates, important admissions deadlines and any scholarship reminders.
Set up a study routine- As you prepare to head to college, creating a study routine becomes increasingly important to your college preparations. Try to set aside a certain amount of time each evening focused your classes and, on certain nights, college admissions or your scholarship search. Continue this practice until it becomes second nature.
Start researching colleges you’re interested in- Now is the time to begin exploring colleges. Create a list of what you’d like in a school and begin researching what schools you’re thinking about applying to.
Challenge yourself- It’s important to colleges that you continue to challenge yourself throughout your junior and senior years of high school. This is in reference to academics but, also, in terms of extracurricular activities, high school clubs, part-time jobs and volunteer work. Remember that you want your college applications to be as full as possible.
Stay ahead- It’s a lot easier to obtain an A if you start off the school year by doing your best rather than slacking off in the beginning and having to play catch up later on. Mentally prepare yourself to put your best foot forward in the first half of the semester. Try to stay ahead as long as you can. You may be surprised by how far you’ll go.
Falling Behind? Ask for Help- If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask! Send an email to your teacher explaining what you’re struggling with and try to schedule a time for you to work on the problem one-on-one.