School anxiety is something I see frequently in my Hypnotherapy clinic and parents want to know how they can help their children.School anxiety is a psychological and physical response making the child believe there is imminent danger which triggers the flight or fight response.
The flight or fight response is automatic, powerful and can be very scary. When this happens, the body is flooded with adrenaline, oxygen and hormones. The child may experience;
Shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, nausea or tummy ache, tingling in the arms or legs, frequent toilet visits, a warm flushed feeling, sweating and shaking, inability to think clearly.
Your child may respond to anxiety with defiant behaviour, tantrums, crying, a panic attack or clinging to you. Even though the thinking part of their brain knows that nothing will happen at school the protective part is driving your child to believe the threat of school is very real and school is dangerous!
How can parents help with school related anxieties?
Investigate.Find out if there is an issue at school. Are they being bullied, Is the work too hard, is there a physical distraction such as being unable to see the board?
School support. Ensure there is support in place at school, this may include the class teacher, welfare teacher or perhaps school psychologist. Your child needs to have someone they trust when you are not around.
A firm routine,Including a good night sleep. Ensure all required tasks are listed and can be checked off for a consistent and smooth morning schedule to reduce uncertainty and worry. Ensure bags are packed and uniform is laid out the night before.
Knowledge is power. Explain to your child what is happening when they feel anxious. When a parent has booked their child in for hypnotherapy the child quite confidently tells me they have Anxiety but when asked what it means they really don’t know. So, this is how I explain it to a primary school aged child; I explain they have a protective (superhero) part of the brain and because they are so special, unique and do so many amazing things it wants to keep them safe. When they leave home and the surroundings are different such as at school the superhero is on high alert. However sometimes it’s so good at its job it alerts you to danger when there isn’t any! Then it floods the body with “superfuel” made from adrenaline, oxygen and hormones which makes you feel dizzy, sick, can’t think clearly (insert whatever the child experiences here). Your job is to tell the Superhero part it’s OK, so it stops releasing “Super fuel”
Breathe.Teach your child they can neutralise the “super fuel” and switch on the thinking part of the brain by using 4x4x4 breathing. Get your child to Imagine they have a fresh baked cookie in their hand. Breathe in and smell the cookie for 4 counts. Hold the wonderful smell for 4 counts and because the cookie is still hot from the oven you need to blow out onto the cookie for 4 counts.
Movement. Jump, run, dance to a favourite song to release any built-up adrenaline from the body.
Mindfulness. Now stop and focus on this moment. Notice what you can see, hear, smell, feel, taste right at this very moment.
Empowering affirmations. What does the Superhero part of the brain need to know? Ask your child this when they are calm. They can use these statements as a mantra when they feel they need reminding.Here are some examples; I am brave, I am OK, I am safe, my teacher can help me, I am strong, school is fun, I have good friends.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety is very effective. Choose a Hypnotherapist that has experience working with children, hypnotherapy teaches children how they can control how they feel in any situation and this has the potential to change everything.