How to relax: A guide for young people
If you feel anxiety because you look different, it’s important to find ways to feel calm. This guide to relaxation is especially for young people.
A guide to managing your child’s worries about being back at school during the COVID-19 pandemic and periods of time off school due to restrictions.
Many young people may have missed friends, teachers and daily routine during the lockdown periods and school closures due to coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. Others may have found it less stressful than going to school. In particular, this may apply to those with a visible difference.
For these students, going back to school may be a cause of stress and anxiety.
On this page, we share some suggestions on how to manage a child’s worries and concerns now the final COVID-19 restrictions are being eased.
It may be helpful to you if you are:
During the unusual period of enforced lockdowns, many children missed school friends, teachers and the daily routine that school offers.
However, some children may have found the lockdown periods less stressful than attending school. In particular, this may be the case if they have a visible difference. They may have felt safe and cocooned in the family home, away from public scrutiny, comments, questions, stares, even teasing and bullying.
Since going back to school, some children may be concerned for a number of reasons. They may experience:
During lockdown, some may have felt shy or withdrawn and reluctant to connect with friends using video-call apps. Our video-call guide may help explain why this may be a challenge for your child and suggest ways to support them. Whilst using video-calling technology may feel easy for some children, others may struggle and feel more disconnected from friends and family during restrictions.
Some children may feel very worried and anxious about going back to school. This may feel even harder if your child felt anxious about their appearance before or felt vulnerable, isolated or unhappy previously at school.
Here are some ideas on how to support your child as they go back to school.
Talk to the relevant head, teachers and pastoral support staff to explain any anxieties that your child has. This will give school staff a chance to consider and prepare for the worries your child is facing. They may be able to speak with your child to offer reassurance. It might be helpful to keep these lines of communication open on a regular basis.
This can be a confusing and overwhelming time, especially for younger children. Your child may have trouble understanding their feelings. With your child, you could make some emoji cards or painted pebbles together, showing different emotions, such as happy, sad, confused, worried, curious, tired and so on. “Labelling” feelings may make it easier for you and your child to talk about any worries and help you support them.
Set aside time during the day to discuss feelings and worries. Let your child know it is OK to feel this way and that there are no “bad” or “good” feelings. It is natural to want to reassure your child, by saying things like, “Don’t worry” or, “It’ll be OK”. However, it may be more helpful to gently explore. Try asking, “What makes you think that might happen?” and, “How can we prepare you if it does?”
Routine can be helpful and provides structure when children are not able to be at school. The routine may be a combination of schoolwork, play activities and downtime. If possible, aim to build in exercise by going out in the fresh air in a green space or nature each day.
If your child is off school, a shorter school day is sensible, with a focus on the topics your child actively enjoys and thrives in. However, it is also worth noting that the pandemic and living under restrictions has not been a normal time for any of us. Home schooling has its limitations and challenges for both parents and children.
If schoolwork is a challenge, try activities with a learning or creative element. For example:
Keeping in regular touch with trusted family members can be helpful to remind children how to communicate. Getting grandparents or other family members outside the home involved can help with this. Even if they are further away, involving them in activities like videocall quizzes, reading a story or virtual baking helps to make these social interactions feel fun and warm.
A sense of connecting with friends and peers can make the reintegration feel less stressful. Some schools or youth clubs have creative and inclusive ways of keeping children connected through online meetings and others may be able to meet face to face. Encouraging playdates, either face to face or virtually can help children to become re-socialised and to become more confident.
Your child’s sleep pattern may have been affected by anxiety. Try making the run-up to bedtime peaceful and relaxing with calm activities like colouring, a jigsaw or Lego in place of electronic gadgets or television. Choosing a calm and happy bedtime story to read with your child is a good idea. Night-time anxiety can be reduced by making space during the day for conversations about COVID-19 or school worries. Remove all phones and electronic devices from the bedroom. The Sleep Charity has good resources for parents and children of all ages.
These can help your child feel calm and more in control of difficult situations or feelings. These may be:
We’ve created a relaxation session you can listen to with your child. It’s all about butterflies! It’s about the easing of lockdown but you might find it helpful for whatever anxieties your child is dealing with.
Remember, it is fine to take it gently. Going back to school, in the current circumstances, may feel strange for some children – and parents too.
If you feel anxiety because you look different, it’s important to find ways to feel calm. This guide to relaxation is especially for young people.
In this guide for young people, we look at what anxiety is, why looking different can make anxiety worse and suggest some ways to cope with it.