Back to School Brings New Anxiety in 2022

The back-to-school season has always been one that brought anxiety for some youth. The idea of a new classroom, a new teacher, and meeting new kids brings up anxiety for many children and youth. However, after the past couple of years, there is a new level of anxiety about going back to school, and it’s not just the students who are feeling it. The country is facing a mental health crisis among teachers and students, which is partially responsible for the teacher shortage crisis we are now facing. Teachers, administrators, students, and parents are all feeling the weight of the situation.

It’s an issue that we can’t afford to ignore because it will create a long-term impact on our society if we don’t.

The current teacher’s mental health crisis

More than 50 percent of teachers throughout the United States are considering leaving the profession. The majority of them are burned out.

Over the past few years, we’ve all been struggling.

The entire world has struggled as we navigate whatever this time is that we’re living in. But one of the groups that has really been struggling is educators.

I have the honor of delivering professional development presentations to educators around the country. I talk about self-care and tactics for helping students who might be struggling with mental health or who have behavior problems, as I did as a child. And I really enjoy working with educators.

For the past several years, I’ve gotten to listen to them and learn about what’s on their mind, and hear the pain and suffering they’re going through.

Prior to 2020, educators were struggling. They had more and more responsibilities placed on them, and they weren’t getting paid enough. Then you bring 2020 into the mix along with having to switch to remote learning, deal with the mask vs. no mask controversy, politics, racism, and school boards saying you can’t teach from this book, but you need to complete this new training. I’m not trying to be controversial, but I want to share the reality of what’s happening. Educators have had a lot added to their plates over the past few years.

The people that are responsible for educating the future of our country are really struggling.

Kayleen Holt, the Learning Experience Director on my team at Mike Veny, Inc., encouraged me to address this issue. So I put out a survey for educators to figure out what’s on in their minds, and I learned so much.

Self-care tips for teachers

Fast forward to today, I now have a resource for educators that I’m so excited to share. It’s called Fill Your Cup: The Exhausted Educator’s Guide to Emotional Wellness.

In the course, I share much of what I’ve been talking about in presentations and workshops and what I’ve learned from my team. In addition to Kayleen, pretty much everyone who works on the Mike Veny, Inc. team has been involved in public education in one way, shape, or form.

While listening, I learned that the idea of “self-care” can feel a bit like a mean joke to educators. With the workload they are expected to carry, they struggle to have time for the responsibilities and relationships in their personal life. The idea of taking extra time for self-care or adding any more activities to their overloaded schedule feels unrealistic.

In the course, we talk about what self-care can look like for educators, including how to reconnect with your why and the strategy of “coping ahead.” We get into the details of how to spend time efficiently, productively, and peacefully. There are also tips for managing stress and preventing burnout.

The first part of Fill Your Cup is all about helping educators with their mental wellness by providing tips approved by other educators. The second part of the course is about supporting students who are struggling.

Current student mental health crisis

Prior to the pandemic, the United States already had troubling statistics about youth mental health. While the suicide rates of youth were declining around the world, it was increasing in America. Youth were struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide. And then we all know what’s been going on over the past few years.

Schools shut down, activities were canceled, and our youth were stuck at home like the rest of us. While things have returned to “normal” now, it would be unrealistic to expect that children and teens are going to bounce right back. Yes, children are resilient but need support, and many are struggling now more than ever.

There are many theories on why this is happening:

• Social media is negatively impacting self-confidence
• Bullying has spread to the digital world, making it harder for youth to escape to a safe place
• Parents are struggling, which impacts the children
• There are higher expectations on youth to succeed in school, athletics, extracurriculars, and working part-time
• The tension in society makes things feel hopeless

You can point to any number of things, and the reality is that they all likely contribute in one way or another. The most important thing is that we come together to address our youth’s mental health crisis, regardless of why it began.

Self-care tips for students

It’s important that we also empower youth by teaching them how to use self-care to protect their mental health and wellness. If you are a student or have a student in your life, here are a few tips that can help (they can also help adults.)

1. Take control of your day

I know it’s normal for teenagers to stay up late and wait until the last minute to wake up and get ready for school, but it’s really important for students to start waking themselves up. Setting an alarm and waking yourself up is a good first step toward building self-esteem, which is important for mental wellness.

In the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen Covey talks about how, when you make a commitment to yourself and keep it, it’s the beginning of self-esteem. So I recommend that students set their own alarms and become responsible for waking themselves up at a specific time. This also allows them to set aside five minutes for a self-care activity in the morning. This is powerful because it allows you to take control of your day.

It’s important to note that there is a difference between self-care and escape activities. Grabbing your phone while lying in bed and watching TikTok is an escape activity. Self-care activities are things that grow you and help you feel your best. This could be reading, journaling, stretching, or meditating. Students should find an activity that works for them.

2. Do a mind sweep

In the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, author David Allen shares the power of doing a mind sweep when you feel overwhelmed. All you need to do is take out a piece of paper and write down everything that is on your mind. It could be things you are worried about, angry about, or a conversation you plan on having. Write everything down.

Doing this temporarily frees your mind from being in prison. It doesn’t take your problems away, but it creates a buffer. For example, if a student has a test due and is anxious about it, they will still have to do it. However, this activity can help them create enough space in their brains to manage the information they need to focus on.

Sometimes we keep so much in our heads that simply writing it down can make it easier to manage. I encourage people to do this daily.

3. Ask yourself self-care questions

There are three self-care questions that I ask myself on a regular basis. I wish someone would have taught me when I was younger.

• What’s going on inside of me right now? When you ask yourself this question, it forces you to locate in your body where your emotions are, even if it’s happiness. For example, sometimes I feel anxious in my chest when I’m happy. Taking a moment to locate where your feelings are can be grounding.
• How am I feeling? A lot of times, we’re not even aware of how we’re feeling. For me, it’s easy to identify anger, but once I ask myself this question, I realize that I’m not actually angry, I’m sad. This is the case for many teenagers. I have heard from many teenage boys who say they struggle with anger and are shocked when I share that anger is often depression in disguise. We go right to anger, but there is a lot more going on there, and you must do the work to find it.
• What do I need right now? Do you need food or water? A hug? It’s important to know what you need, even if you’re not always going to be able to get it right at that moment. For example, I travel a lot as a speaker, and if I’m on a plane and need to go to the gym to work out, I’ll have to wait until I get to the hotel. It’s important to keep that in mind, but understanding what you need is an important first step.

Again, these tips won’t make anxiety or depression disappear, but they can help manage them. When stress or mental health challenges become overwhelming, they can lead to self-harm or attempted suicide. If you are self-harming or thinking about dying by suicide, please tell someone. You may think it won’t matter, but when we are in a rough place, we don’t think rationally. We’re in a prison in our minds.

Keep the acronym HALT in mind. Don’t make any big decisions when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. When you are in a rough place, you can’t make rational decisions, so if you’re thinking or planning something, pause and talk to an adult (if you’re a student). It may feel uncomfortable, but it will lead to gold on the other side, meaning life will get better. It takes hard work, time, and the willingness to have the courage to talk about it. I wish someone had told me that as a kid.

Whether you are struggling yourself or know someone who is struggling, I encourage you to talk to someone. There are many hotlines and resources available, which you can learn more about here: Where to Find Mental Health Help IMMEDIATELY / A.S.A.P.

What parents and others can do to help

Parents, I encourage you to look for ways to support your children’s teachers. I know the school system may feel frustrating to you right now, but consider that the teachers who remain in their positions are dealing with a lot of obstacles and the only reason they are doing it is that they care about children—including your child.

Ask teachers what you can do to support them. If you can afford it, ask what you can purchase for the classroom. Teachers spend a lot of money out of their own pocket for their classrooms. If you can donate your time, ask what activities they need help with. Teachers usually have a long list of simple things that parents could help with to take some of the load off their plate. And most importantly, treat your child’s teachers and administrators with kindness. You are setting an example for your child.

Be willing to have the difficult and uncomfortable conversations that are needed with your child. Look for ways to support them. Model prioritizing mental wellness by following a self-care routine for yourself. You may even be able to find self-care activities you and your children can enjoy together. Continue to educate yourself on the red flags or warning signs of a mental health crisis.

And it doesn’t stop with parents. It’s past time for us to acknowledge that everyone in the school community is responsible for mental wellness in schools. A lot of times, we look to teachers or counselors to be the ones who are responsible for the mental wellness of students. But it’s actually everyone’s responsibility. If parents, faculty, administrators, and students own it, it’s going to be much easier for people to get the help they need.

Teachers and administrators who focus on their mental and emotional well-being inspire students to focus on their mental and emotional well-being. Let’s work together to make the ’22-’23 school year one where we begin to turn things around to help improve the mental wellness of our educators and students.