Various surveys and research have shown that almost 40% of college students are suffering from anxiety. What could have caused this? That's a product of uneasiness and turmoil in their educational life. So these alarming statistics show that the mental health of our students at all levels must be prioritized.
Meanwhile, you should note that reasons for a student's anxiety vary from social to personal, institutional, and other innumerable factors. Therefore, you need to treat each student according to his or her circumstances.
On that note, this article has compiled some easy-to-practice tips that apply to all students. You'll also learn how, as a teacher, you should address anxiety in the classrooms and stimulate an active academic environment. Let's get started.
How to Assist a Student with Anxiety
Here are some effective and tried and true ways to suppress mental anxiety and disorders in the classroom.
Start with a One-on-one Meeting with the Students
There's a general saying that the solution to a problem cannot be discovered except the problem itself is known, so why don't you engage the affected students?
Even among psychologists, it's an irrefutable position that some people suffering from anxiety might not know that they're until you sit them down. And those that understand the nature of what they're facing might not know the appropriate response to give.
Hence, as the teacher, you're saddled with the responsibility to let these folks know what's getting in their trajectory. Through this, they'll be able to identify the triggers and create coping techniques that'll help them along the way.
So we'll suggest that you meet them before or after the class. This will not only help the child enjoy a good rapport with his teacher but also show that he's also empathetic and supportive.
Discover and Understand Mood
You should also be able to discover your mood for the day. Using this tip will help you relate with the students easily and regularly. Especially if you're dealing with younger kids whose vocab for feelings other than sorrow, joy, and hunger is still growing, you'll need mood meters.
This will also help you understand the various feelings or moods they're in per time. Once the mood meter discovers a red zone, that's a bad mood while the green zone represents an active and happy mood.
Encourage and Observe Healthy Practices
Health is wealth. This simple statement applies to both your and your students' mental and physical health. Meanwhile, mental wellness depends on how healthy you're physically. Hence, you need to encourage the students to observe healthy practices.
For instance, healthy living should include the consumption of nutritious meals and that's one of the causes of anxiety among our college students. Many of them lack the energy to tackle the day-to-day challenges. So you can't expect them to possess the mental energy to deal with these challenges when they're not well-fed.
The absence of a proper diet can also lead to low blood pressure, stunted health growth, heart vibrations, and dangerous blood sugar levels, among others.
Let the Parents Know
Most often than not, the agents of anxiety can be traced to these kids' homes rather than school. So the parents should be updated on the state of things. You need to let them know how to enhance conversations bordering on emotional and social learning, even at home too.
Collaborating with the parents will also ensure that the students receive the utmost support from the two environments - home and school. This could be actualized by knowing the cause of the anxiety, unearthing what needs the student has, introducing the anxiety management plans both at school and home, and monitoring his progress.
Exercise Regularly
If the idea of exercise doesn't buzz you, that's probably because you've not been exercising the appropriate way. And if you think exercise is exclusively meant for adults, you're wrong. It is a reliable and research-supported way to tackle stress in both kids and adults.
Incorporating a regular exercise routine into the students' daily schedule will control and tone down their stress levels. At the surface level, we understand that it's a bit tough to work out alongside assignments, exams, and other tasks in the classroom.
A very good instance is a folding walking treadmill or cycling bike. You can also use simple standing and seating exercises to activate those happy hormones in their bodies. And if you're the one suffering from anxiety, these ideas will also work for you.
Communicate
As much as teachers need to implore the students to talk about their anxious feelings, we also need the students to be willing and ready to share how they feel with these teachers. Hence, you should also teach your students that there's nothing to be ashamed of.
Are they afraid of being stigmatized? You need to help them allay their fears. After all, open communication is the antidote to discussions that could have otherwise led to grave and healthy topics.
Take a Break and Enjoy the Moment
An anxious mind is a troubled mind and it can only be calmed when you're outside. Sometimes, all you need to unlock the solution is a change of environment. So you can probably take the affected students out on a walk. Let them relish the cool air, the faraway and nearby chirping of birds, and the overall beauty of nature.
The break can also come in form of analysis. That is, refocusing their attention on the problems and centering them on the immediate environment. You'll be amazed at how it eases the mind, relaxes the accumulated tension, and makes daily life more productive.
Show Gratitude
Gratitude is the cord that holds our world together. And you can put your brain to work by generating warm and joyous ideas from gratitude but it can't produce worried thoughts. So why not capitalize on it?
So you need to ensure each student has a gratitude notebook. Before you set in for the day's job, you can ask them to make a collection of those things or anything they're grateful for. You'll be surprised that this idea will trigger a good thought process and that's a magical antidote to anxiety.
Meanwhile, you can go a step higher by reading these motivating passages about them in the general class. It'll help in replacing pessimistic thoughts with positive ideas.
Validate the Students' Feelings
Before you even get set to solve the problem in collaboration with the parents, why don't you validate their feelings? Let them know that you're with them. All you have to do is let them know that the consequences of anxiety are endless. That is, it works like a chain and it might eventually wreak unimaginable havoc.
Doing this will help the students relax, feel supported, understood, and trusted. Most importantly, as a teacher, you should never shame these anxious ones. We understand that their behaviors might be frustrating but understanding that these kids aren't exaggerating the plot is important.
Ergonomic Chair Pro OC14
One of the best gifts you can give your students is Ergonomic Chair Pro OC14. And the best part is that it can be used both in school and at home. This chair will not only support the students' natural sitting posture but also yours, being the teacher.
It doesn't even matter the decor in the classroom or your home, this Ergo Chair Pro OC14 is stylishly designed to align with almost any interior. And if you need a strong and comfy armrest to relax on, this chair is all you need. And the stability doesn't wane in as much as you've set its adjustability to your ideal height.
Ergonomic Chair Pro OC14 is also sophisticated and contemporary to the point that it gives your body maximum succor once you sit on it. You can move the chair from one end of the classroom or your house to another without causing scratches or making screaks. That's possible due to the aluminum alloy chassis.
Make the right choice today!
Final Thoughts
The natural stress response is anxiety. So anybody can be anxious, including youngsters. And it often comes in form of fear or excessive concern about what lies ahead or what the future holds. Among the children, the symptoms you should be on the lookout for include poor sleeping patterns, clinging, regular headaches or stomach aches, getting easily startled, and crying, among others.
Anxiety most times occur when you relocate these kids to a new environment or the first time they started schooling. So you should be conscious of these points in their lives and address any anxious feelings in sight with the above-discussed ideas.
