Pastoral Care

Tackling anxiety

As we come to the end of a very busy term it is the perfect opportunity to rest, relax and restore your relationship with family, friends and yourself. For many students as the term progressed so may their levels of anxiety and stress. Most pre-teens and teenagers feel anxious sometimes and it’s a natural reaction to the challenges of adolescents. 

Anxiety is the feeling of worry, apprehension or dread that something bad will happen or that they’ll be unable to cope in certain situations. It’s a physical reaction or response from the body to a specific situation or event that matches feelings but it often continues once the situation has passed. Common reactions can include for example, ‘butterflies in the stomach’, nausea, tension within the muscles or sweatiness. 

Anxiety can look and feel similar to stress however stress generally increases the heart rate, breathing patterns change and muscles tense up causing ‘shakiness’. If you understand the difference between the two then you can begin to understanding the cause of the anxiety and how to help.

Anxiety is very common in pre-teens and teenage years due to it being a time of emotional, physical and social change at a major developmental stage in their lives and they are beginning to seek independence. It isn’t always a bad thing as it helps teenagers keep safe by getting them to think through situations before they’re in them. It can motivate them to do their best and help them prepare for challenging situations.

Here are some ideas to help your child learn the important life skills of how to manage when they’re faced with situations that make them anxious:

Find time to talk as simply listening helps you understand what’s going on and help them find solutions.

Acknowledge their feelings are real even if what they’re feeling seems unlikely to happen. Spending time to explain that you’re confident they are able to handle it is better than telling them not to worry as this sends the message that worry isn’t valid. When you discuss their concerns with warmth and compassion it models and encourages self-compassion in challenging situations.

Encourage brave behaviour by setting small goals for the things they feel most anxious about. Encourage:

• Positive self-talk ‘I can handle this. I’ve been in this situation before’
• Self-compassion ‘it’s ok if I do things differently than others as this is what works for me’
• Assertiveness ‘I need to with …’

Praise your child for attempting something they feel anxious about no matter how small.

Over the holidays find some time to do things you enjoy as a family like cooking a meal together, listening to music, reading books, watch a movie, or simply go for a walk and make the most of the beautiful change in the weather.

Eating well, exercising regularly, hobbies, getting enough sleep and connecting with friends are all positive changes you can make to support your general wellbeing and the wellbeing of your families. If you are able to, keep the final days of the holidays fairly quiet, to assist your children to reflect on Term One and set goals on what they’d like to do or achieve in Term Two. Set some personal goals with them and assist their return to the College with a smile on their face and a positive mindset.

The Pastoral Care Team wishes all parents, guardians and students a safe and relaxing holiday and a blessed and Holy Easter filled with happiness, love and faith.

                                                                                                  The Pastoral Care Team