How to Handle Back-to-School Stress

Believe it or not, school is almost back in session, and kids are not the only ones that have to adjust; the whole family has to get back into a routine. What are the best strategies for avoiding back-to-school stressors, such as homework and getting the kids to bed at an earlier bedtime? It’s more simple than you think with these helpful tips on managing back-to-school stress.

Learn How To Identify

Stress is expressed in many ways, so it can be hard at times to identify what the cause is. Look for the common signals, such as difficulty sleeping, headaches, stomach aches or changes in your child's behavior. If you see these things happening make sure that listen to your kid(s) and try to identify the issue. Maybe it’s an issue with a teacher, bully or even them being over scheduled.

Getting To Bed

At any age, sleep is important, but this is especially true for children in school. Studies say that children 3-6 years old should have 10-12 hours of sleep per day, 7-12 years should have 10-11 hours of sleep per day, and 12-18 years should have 8-9 hours of sleep per day. If your kids aren’t sleeping well, quickly address the factors that have changed that may have led to this. For example: Is it their schedule too overloaded, are they feeling anxious, or using technology late at night?

Make A Plan

Keeping track of your children can create tension between couples. However, by being proactive and creating a plan, you can avoid potential conflicts from happening. By creating a plan with your children and family by writing down goals for everyone to see, you can be sure that everyone will remember to stick to the plan.

Just remember: kids are still kids, and saving some time for fun is important for a balanced lifestyle (plus it will help get rid of some stress!). At the Center for Dispute Settlement, we love what we do; especially helping people, communities and working within schools. Connect with us to learn more about our variety of conflict resolution services.