Identifying back to school nerves and when it’s time to seek help

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Baylor Scott & White is sharing their advice for parents noticing some back-to-school nerves among their kids.

While some nerves are normal, Dr. Anne Marie Eschberger says, there are some extreme symptoms parents can look for.

“When they’re going back to school if they’re talking about dreading it or having a bad experience or they don’t get all their friends in their classroom just [try] to talk them through it. And if there’s a major change in behavior, or if they’re crying all the time, withdrawing, those are some of the bigger red flag signs that you would watch out for as a parent,” she said.

These nerves or shifts in behavior can be due to stressors in life, unrelated to returning to school. This can be anything from tragic headlines seen on the news, divorce in the family or even not making a sports team.

“Talking with your child, talking with your student, and not being scared of the topic. Even if you have really young students or children already starting, say if there’s an event that happens in your community that can kind of bring that forward or something that happens within your life, trying to have those conversations. And ask how your child is feeling. Do they feel hopeless? Do they feel worthless? And if they do, try to dig a little bit deeper into those conversations,” Eschberger said.

For more signs and suggestions visit the blog post from Baylor Scott and White here.

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