Mental Wellness Corner

This month’s topic… Adjustment

The beginning of the school year can be very exciting- new friends, new supplies, new teachers! However, for some children, the beginning of the school year can also be anxiety provoking- new friends to get used to, new supplies to figure out, new teachers to learn about. Anxiety in new or unknown situations is both common and normal. The good news is that the “newness” subsides as children learn their routines and adjust to their teachers and classmates. We can help this process by talking about what is going well and what children continue to feel uncertain about. We can review schedules, have children demonstrate what papers go where when checking homework, and ask about what they have learned about teachers or friends. As adjustment increases, anxiety should decrease. Continue to monitor this, and by the time you’re reading the next newsletter, those new year butterflies will be a thing of the past!