Coping with Back to School Stress and Anxiety

For most kids, going back to school is an exciting and fun time, but for some, it is nothing but dreadful. Even if a child isn’t experiencing bullying or academic trouble, the social factor of public education can be downright daunting for students who have social anxiety. This is especially true for high school students.

Teens with social anxiety are usually very reluctant to go to school in the morning and are always looking for ways to avoid both small and large group social situations. Common physical symptoms of anxiety include a fast heart rate, excessive sweating, hyperventilation, dizziness, stomach pain and crying. Most kids with social anxiety also suffer from low self-esteem and have an irrational fear of being watched and judged by others.

If you believe your child is experiencing back-to-school anxiety, you should ask them to open up about their feelings and fears. Anxiety comes in many forms and shouldn’t be ignored. Some children may just need a quick pep talk before school while others may need to seek professional counseling for their fears.
Although social anxiety is a phobia that takes time to conquer, parents can help their children cope with their fears by using the following four tips.

1. Teach relaxation techniques: Techniques include deep breathing, positive visualization and meditation. In addition to these proximate techniques that can be used at the onset of anxious feelings, encourage your child to also do some form of exercise every day. Exercise is great for your overall health, but it is especially good for reducing anxiety and stress.
2. Help them hone a talent: To help with self-esteem, encourage your teenager to focus on their strengths. Whether it is a subject in school, an artistic or athletic ability or something else, children understand their individual value better when they realize and perfect their unique talents.
3. Be their support, not their crutch: Kids with social anxiety often turn to their parents for comfort and reassurance. Many children with social phobia spend most of their time at home after school, because being at home with mom and dad provides a blanket of comfort for them. While this may seem like easy parenting (a child at home is a child protected from trouble), it is not healthy behavior, especially for a teenager. Encourage your teenager to tackle their phobias by spending more time with their friends or participating in an after school activity. If they showcase any concerns, tell them that you know they will enjoy doing something different.
4. Encourage part-time work: If your teenager is old enough to work, encourage them to go get an after school, part-time job. A job will teach them how to meet new people and how to work in a team. They will also learn about responsibility, business and customer service and become exposed to real-world situations that may help them realize the irrationality of their fears.

As stated before, social anxiety is not a phobia that can be fixed overnight. For some people, it can take years to overcome their fears. However, parents can guide their teens down the path to an anxiety-free life by recognizing the problem and implementing techniques that dissolve their phobias.

Contributor: Melissa Miller spent many years working odd jobs before finally admitting it was time to get her www.associatedegreeonline.com. Now, she has sworn her life to helping others do the same by explaining the often tricky world of online education. She welcomes your questions and comments at melissamiller831@gmail.com.

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Social Media and Social Change

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8 Tips to Relieve Homework Stress

After a long and relaxing summer getting back into schedule can sometimes be difficult. Adding homework to that equation can be a bit stressful.

Here are 8 tips to consider before school starts to help your school year go smoothly:

1. Offer encouragement. Give your child praise for efforts and for completing assignments.
2. Be available. Encourage your child to do the work independently, but be available for assistance.
3. Maintain a schedule. Establish a set time to do homework each day. You may want to use a calendar to keep track of assignments and due dates.
4. Designate space. Provide a space for homework, stocked with necessary supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper, dictionaries, a computer, and other reference materials.
5. Provide discipline. Help your child focus on homework by removing distractions, such as television, radio, telephone, and interruptions from siblings and friends.
6. Be a role model. Consider doing some of your work, such as paying bills or writing letters, during your child's homework time.
7. Be supportive. Talk to your child about difficulties with homework. Be willing to talk to your child's teacher to resolve problems in a positive manner.
8. Involvement. Familiarize yourself with the teacher's homework policy. Make sure that you and your child understand the teacher's expectations. At the beginning of the year, you may want to ask your child's teacher these questions: What kinds of assignments will you give? How often do you give homework? How much time are the students expected to spend on them? What type of involvement do you expect from parents?

Back to School: School Struggles

By Richard Selznick, PhD

From the author of The Shut-Down Learner, here is aid and comfort for parents of children having difficulty with school. Dr. Selznick offers perspective and understanding developed over his 25 years of working with thousands of academically struggling kids and their families.

Tackling topics like excessive use of technology, parental indulgence of children, students who have trouble getting organized, and the importance of patience, this book will be a godsend for families struggling with school and behavioral issues.

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Order School Struggles today on Amazon.

A Teacher's Guide to SOCIAL MEDIA

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Papersalt Books and Products: Inspiring Kids, Teens and Families

What a great resource of books and journals as well as other resources for families!

Papersalt has something for everyone and every age range.

Who are they?

We are a division of Revolution, a Seattle marketing and printing company founded in 2003.

We specialize in employee training and recognition, building content to inspire and influence people.

We are parents. We have spent years building content around families.

At our best as parents and family members, we still always need help. That’s why we started Papersalt.

Building and nurturing your family is the hardest thing you’ll do. With so much media in front of us, we realize that simple, memorable, engaging content is extremely effective.

Content for all books, games and artwork is researched and written by us and our families. And we produce all of the items in our Seattle facility.

Follow them on Twitter and join them on Facebook.

Check out their teens site!  Click here.

Seattle, WA- Seattle’s Revolution, Inc. recently launched their new product line Papersalt. Papersalt creates simple, effective, to-the-point books for kids and parents, giving families an effective set of tools that can be used in all stages of learning. 

All products can be viewed at www.papersalt.com

Sexting and the College Student

Via: BestCollegesOnline.com

5 Basic Things To Teach Your Teen Before They Leave for College

Your teen is approaching the end of their high school career and they are heading off to college.

It is a fun and exciting time for the whole family, especially for your doe –eyed teen. Sometimes as parents we forget that sometimes our teens don’t know the basics once they flee the nest.

Here are five basic things you should educate your teen on before they go:

1. Budget money: Probably one of the biggest and most important things you can teach your teen before they head off to college. Teaching your teen the basics of money and the concept of budgeting will carry them into adulthood. Give your teen a good grasp on costs and expenses and how they are to spend and budget. Most college freshman are targeted by credit card companies once they get on campus, teach them the trials and tribulations of a credit card.
2. Basic safety: You aren’t able to keep track of your teen once they are off to college. Teach them the different dangers that they can experience as college students. Things like drinking and driving, drugs and date rape. Teach them to keep their personal information offline and that no matter where or what they are doing someone needs to know where they are, even if it’s just their roommate.
3. How to cook: Teaching them easy and healthy meals will keep your teen from spending too much money on those late night drive thrus. Be sure to send them off to college with basic cooking supplies like pots and pans and cooking utensils. Consider stocking their pantry and fridge with the basics, this will encourage them to cook at home more.
4. How to do laundry: Believe it or not, lots of teens do not know how to do their own laundry. Be sure they know how to operate the machine as well as what settings are needed on different loads. Don’t forget to show them how to clean the dryer vent.
5. Car maintenance: If your teen is going to college with a car, be sure that you educate them on what to do when it comes to renewing stickers, getting oil changes and checking tire pressure. It is wise that you tell them to contact you first if there is a car problem, some mechanics and tow truck people can target your teen and rip them off.

Prepare for phone calls and texts with questions and sometimes mishaps. It is also a sign if you do not hear from your teen about these things; make sure they are practicing what you have taught them. Be understanding and helpful; remember you were once that age too. Good luck Mom and Dad!

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of nanny babysitter. She welcomes your comments at her email at jdebra84@gmail.com.

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