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By Joanna Dixon
Along with the rest of England, Wokingham pupils were welcomed back to the classroom this month.
Many people felt a huge sense of relief but for others this was mixed with anxiety about what to expect, their health or their family’s health.
There is a lot of uncertainty about school and life in general at the moment and we need to manage this.
The good news is that by learning to adapt and helping our children to reduce anxiety we are building useful skills for life.
One pupil told us: “I haven’t seen my friends for weeks and I am looking forward to it, but I’m worried about my family who are vulnerable, I don’t want to bring the virus home”.
Parents also have concerns: “My son has special educational needs, and I am worried about
how he will cope with wearing a mask all day and if he will be able to do the Covid-19 testing.
“I don’t want him to become more anxious than he already is.”
We have put together some tips that could help parents and caregivers to support their
children:
• Acknowledge that it is normal to feel anxious and talking about how your child feels will help. This is a difficult time, and they might not feel OK overnight, there will be a transition.
• If you, as an adult are feeling anxious your child may pick up on this. Make sure you take the time to talk about your own feelings with someone you trust.
• Not everyone’s situation is the same so make sure you listen, validate their feelings and don’t feel like you have to have the answers.
• Take a look at the facts and address any misinformation.
For example, if they are worried about bringing Covid-19 into the home you could look at local infection rates and the effectiveness of vaccines.
Some children may be exposed to too much news or online discussion about the virus.
It might be better for them to take a step away from this.
• Don’t offer too many re-assurances. Instead, look at strategies that your child could use and encourage them to problem-solve. For example, you could talk about how they adapted to going back to school in September.
What worked? What didn’t?
• Some children might benefit from taking slow deep breaths or planning in a ‘worry time’ so anxiety doesn’t spill into the rest of the day.
• Talk about the changes to their day such as different break times or lateral flow tests so they become part of the new routine.
• Make some time to focus on mental and physical health. Enjoy exercising outdoors or healthy cooking to nurture yourself and your family.
• Talk to your child’s school about how you can work together to reduce anxiety.
We have more advice and information on this topic, including videos and links to other organisations, on our website: www.healthwatchwokingham.co.uk
