Back to School – No Worries!
New uniform bought, stationery and books packed, holiday projects complete…September can only mean one thing – back to school! It’s a stressful time for any parent, regardless of whether your child is going to nursery, primary school or even university! But in all the stress of dealing with the practicalities of the new term have we stopped to think about how our children are feeling? Recent research suggests that as many as 1 in 6 young people will experience an anxiety condition and going back to school, college or university can be a major trigger.
Change of routine, new school, homework deadlines, new teachers and classmates and for those going to university it could even mean a whole new town or city to get used to – it’s a lot to take on board which is why many anxiety disorders begin in childhood and adolescence with up to 5 young people in every classroom living with anxiety conditions such as OCD, panic attacks, social anxiety and phobias.
Young people aren’t always going to tell us they are feeling stressed or anxious – it can often be difficult for them to discuss how they feel, especially when they think no one else will understand how they are feeling. Instead symptoms often present themselves in a more physical way including headaches, tummy aches and tiredness.
It always surprises me how many young people I see in my clinic and one of the most important things I explain to them is that anxiety is completely normal! It is something that everyone experiences to some degree at some point in their lives. It’s just the primitive part of our brain telling us that something different is happening that it doesn’t feel comfortable with and it’s urging us to be careful.
The problems happen when we get stuck in that primitive part of our brain. When anxiety gets out of control it can stop us from doing everyday things, leading to increased feelings of unhappiness, upset and frustration.
Signs to look out for include:
- Tiredness
- Not wanting to join in activities or social situations
- Feelings of nausea or sickness
- Thinking unpleasant thoughts
- Thinking that you might be “going crazy”
- Irritability
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Stomach ache
- Headaches
- Chronic worrying
- Obsessional checking activities
Sadly, the average time a person suffers with their anxiety condition before they seek help is over 10 years! That’s 10 years of living with a condition that impacts significantly on the quality of their lives and those around them. But the good news is that, with the right help, it is something that can be completely overcome and in a relatively short period of time.
Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is a safe and easy way to help us get back control and reduce anxiety. It boosts our confidence and self-esteem whilst reducing any worry and fears. And there is no need to go raking back through the past to figure out why we are feeling the way we are – Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is all about looking ahead to the future!
If you’d like to find out how hypnotherapy can help you with the challenges of heading back to school, get in touch with one of our Inspired to Change hypnotherapists and book your FREE initial consultation.
Inspired to Change Hypnotherapists are all recognised by the National Council for Hypnotherapy, the UK’s leading not-for-profit hypnotherapy professional association.
Find out how you can train as a solution focused hypnotherapist with CPHT.