Back to school anxiety 2021

Help! How do I deal with my own back to school anxiety?

I'm anxious about my child going back to school!

You've talked to your mummy friends for months about the day the schools reopen. Discussed what you will do at 9am on Monday 12th March 2021. Got a bit over excited to be getting your dining table back and clear away the homeschool. Envisaging having a cup of tea in peace for more than 5 seconds. But  now that Monday creeps closer you have a nagging worry, will they be safe, how will they manage without me, how will I manage?
Know that this is completely normal and you are not the only person to feel this way!

Think back to that first day at school, remember biting your bottom lip trying to stop your tears as you looked on at your baby now grown into a happy 4 year old full of excitement as they set off to explore, make friends and learn. And remember when you picked them up after that first day of school, you probably couldn’t shut them up as they described the friends they'd made and the games they had played. Our  children have missed out on so much and although as adults we may be apprehensive there are things we can do to ease our anxieties and send them off on their first day of school just as we did when they were 4 years old.

So what can you do;

1. Talk to your support network. Family, friends, your child's class mates’ parents, chances are you’re all feeling exactly the same.
   
2. Know that your child’s safety and well-being is their school's number one priority.
   
3. Have an early night so you rested and hopefully relaxed ready to tackle the morning routine, you will probably be a little rusty but it won’t be long until you’re back in the swing of things.
   
4. Make a plan. There’s nothing more stressful than running around trying to find a rogue school shoe when you should have left the house 10 minutes earlier. Make the morning easy on yourself and have everything they need set out ready the day before.
   
5. Plan a treat or reward for yourself. Stop at the bakers on the way home from school drop off and buy yourself a croissant to go with that cup of tea. Plan a Netflix/Prime binge of those shows you’ve been putting off watching (don’t get so engrossed in Bridgerton that you forget to collect the kids though, you don’t need to do all of your Duke of Hasting drooling in one day!)
   
6. Try not to transfer your anxiety onto the children. They will have their own fears and questions and will need our reassurance and support. Remind yourself (and them) that you’ll be seeing each other again in 6 short hours.
   

Most of all, just take your time, do what you can in your own way and be kind to yourself and each other.


Demi x
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