How to have a healthy mental and physical start to the school year, Waco mental health expert explains
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - As Central Texas school districts approach the start of the school year, students may be feeling anxious about the first day and the pressures that come. For students to have a mentally healthy start to the year, a Waco mental health expert recommends preparing kids for the big day.
“The first thing is starting to have those discussions about how school is going to be starting soon,” Dr. Kristy Donaldson, owner of Premier Neurofeedback and Counseling Services, said. “We need to start making some plans and making some changes.”
She said the first adjustment to get ready for the school year is returning to the routine sleep schedules.
She said kids between ages five and 15 need to have at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She said, if kids do not get enough sleep, they have a higher chance of having depression, diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
“All of those areas then cause more anxiety for the child and the parents as they’re going back to school,” she said. “If we can just keep a really good sleep schedule, we’ve already tackled a portion of some of the areas of concern.”
Next, Donaldson recommends making sure kids have completed their summer assignments ahead of the night before school starts.
“We should be talking about what we needed to finish up over the summer,” she said. “Maybe if you’re in AP classes and you have responsibilities for books to be finished or projects, or anything like that...go ahead and be talking about that and getting all of that together before you enter that final few days before school to help your child not feel rushed and fearful.”
She said reconnecting with friends or classmates before the first day of school is helpful as well. Donaldson said setting up playdates with kids in the same grade or homeroom will relieve some jitters.
Social media is helpful for older students who were able to connect with friends and classmates over the summer, she said. However, it can also be a downfall for students’ mental health.
“They can start the game of comparison, which is just a terrible thief of our own mental well-being, and start to make us doubt ourselves and fill us with anxiety and concerns that we’re not going to be enough for the next school year,” Donaldson said.
With that, she recommends possibly limiting or monitoring social media and having conversations about the reality of social media.
“Social media is very much a part of our world now,” she said. “Being able to have kids talk about what that’s like, and how it feels to be under that pressure, and reminding them that the world of social media is not always a realistic view...that they’re just enough as they are...the things that they are not happy with, let’s talk about it and see if they’re a valid reason to make changes, or if it’s something that we need to also recognize that we embody in a different way, because being different is also okay.”
Donaldson recommends having meaningful conversations with children and teens about how they are feeling for the upcoming school year.
“Having that conversation with your loved ones and finding out what are you looking forward to...what are you feeling a little bit nervous about...what is causing you any anxiety?” she said. “If you are having those feelings, then totally okay, let’s talk about it, and allowing them time to work through that.”
Following recent school shootings and enhanced safety measures at schools, Donaldson said that some children may be fearing going back to school.
“It still could be something lingering that they may not even be able to put their finger on,” she said. “Having to go back into their school system and knowing that it can be challenging socially, and challenging to stay on top of grades...but also on top of all that, that when they go to school at the end of the day, they will get to come home and see mom and dad again, and they can trust that they will be safe while they’re at school. So, having those real conversations.”
School districts also have a plethora of resources that provide mental health support for students.
China Spring ISD, which starts August 1, said it has a team of social workers and school counselors available for support and to connect students with local resources.
The district also has a web page dedicated to providing resources and tools to help students’ mental health.
“We hope to create an environment where students feel valued and supported,” China Spring ISD sent in a statement to KWTX. “At China Spring ISD, we are committed to ensuring students have the tools they need to thrive both academically and personally.”
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