It is very difficult to help teenagers who deal with anxiety-related issues regularly. this is because there is a generation gap. Although a teacher is more experienced in helping students with their stress levels, they will never get as close to being a friend with them because some students are also anxious about sharing and oversharing with teachers because of previous traumas. So what are teachers supposed to do, to watch teens struggle? Not! There are a lot of ways to help them.
The role of teachers
Because teachers are the closest to their students, they are a better judge of understanding what might be tormenting them. Some things go unsaid. For example, a child does not have to mention that they are worried about their exams on LMS Portal (MCQs are new to adapt to) and have anxiety about time management issues. These are the broad categories of troubles. Students can also have personal problems related to their family or mental health issues. in such a case teachers can recommend them to a counselor present.
Teachers can help students relieve stress in the following ways;
● Relieve assignments before exams
As per the school management system, teachers have to put pressure on students before an exam, especially so that they study harder. It can go against the goal, however, because students might get overwhelmed with the workload and find themselves in a tight spot where they don’t know whether to complete an assignment or to study for the test. Reducing the amount of homework they have can help students be less anxious.
● Give breaks
Sometimes all a child needs is a break from academic activities. Continuously studying can make a child retain less information. there is no use in studying if the child cannot absorb information at all. Hence, teachers should encourage them to do something productive during a break. It will help them get back to studying, improve their focusing power, and also make them feel fresh.
● Talk to parents
If you are unsure about why a child is feeling especially stressed out these days, without noticing any visible reasons, talking to their parent might help you out. However, it could be an invasion of privacy at times, especially for students in high school and college.
● Anti bullying methods
Bullying can play a huge role in stressing out a child. They could be anxious while coming to school because they are afraid of the person bullying them. To keep this in control, teachers should often talk about how bullying affects students in the long run, and punish students who are bullies. Punishment should be in an innovative form because when bullies are punished physically they tend to keep bullying others as a means of revenge.
The role of students
If a child cannot help themselves, no one else can. Children need to be self-aware of what is bothering them and build some values which can help them tackle anxiety and other internal issues by themselves. It not only prepares them for the future but also makes them more capable and self-reliant. Here is how they can have their anxiety issues under control;
● Face problems
Something considers being a problem for a student only if they are afraid of facing the issue. Students have found that once they face a problem and resolve it, it stops bothering them and they have more time to focus on important things like their academics.
● Coping skills
Coping skills are some mechanisms that help students overcome anxiety issues and panic attacks. Breathing exercises and writing personal Diaries or journals are some ways to deal with anxiety. Writing down emotions and meditating can help them come to terms with their issues, resolve them tactically, and invest time in personal growth and development.
● Physical health
Physical well-being is also related to mental well-being. Staying fit by exercising regularly helps students to overcome anxiety. Often, they don’t realize that using mobile phones late at night and eating unhealthy meals like fast food every day can get them stressed out. Some ways to improve physical are by addition of healthy meal plans to their everyday routine, having a brisk walk or short warmup exercise session before classes, and developing an everyday routine so that they don’t forget things that they need to do for physical health improvement.
