Summertime Anxiety
Do you find yourself feeling anxious as summertime approaches? For some, summer can elicit feelings of excitement, relief and happiness because school is out! But for others, summertime can trigger feelings of anxiety due to a lack of order and routine.
Why Do Kids and Teens Feel Anxious During Summer?
1. Lack of routine – Children who enjoy following a daily routine can feel anxiety as a result of the unpredictability or feeling like there is “nothing to do”
2. Decreased social interactions – School allows children and teens to spend time with their friends each day. During the summer, this lack of social interaction can result in children feeling isolated or lonely, increasing feelings of anxiety
3. Pressure to have fun – With social media on the rise, teens may experience feelings of anxiety or increased comparison when seeing their friends travelling or going out in the summertime while they are at home
4. Transitions – Oftentimes, summer is the transition between grades for children. Big changes such as going from elementary school to high school or high school to university can trigger feelings of anticipatory anxiety
How Do I Know if My Child is Struggling?
Children and teens can hide their anxiety, making it challenging for parents to identify and support their child who is struggling. While anxiety can look different for everyone, there are a few key signs to look out for including mood swings, changes in sleep or appetite, isolating themselves from friends and family, excessive and persistent worry about the future or physical ailments such as a headache or stomachache.
What Can I Do?
Implementing healthy and adaptive coping skills into our daily routine is imperative, especially when children are struggling with a lack of routine. To manage this, here are five different techniques children and teens can use to reduce feelings of anxiety and cope with summertime stress.
1. Establish a routine – while flexibility is important, it can be helpful to create a general routine to follow during the summertime, allowing children to feel a sense of order and structure
2. Encourage social interactions – set up play dates for children or encourage teens to make plans with their friends throughout the summer to maintain social connection
3. Label the anxiety – when your child is struggling, sit with them and label the feeling. By naming the anxiety, we fight back against it, taking away anxiety’s power
4. Create time to relax – while routines and structure can be helpful, make sure you create time to relax!
5. Practice coping skills – implementing activities such as reading, journaling, colouring, baking or exercising are healthy and adaptive coping strategies that can be used year- round! Summer is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby that can be used to help manage feelings of anxiety, stress or overwhelm.
If you or your someone you know is struggling with anxiety, please reach out to Vaughan Counselling and Psychotherapy today and connect with one of our therapists for extra support.
References:
Andrews, G., Bell, C., Boyce, P., Gale, C., Lampe, L., Marwat, O., Rapee, R. M., & Wilkins, G.(2018). Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(12), 1109–1172. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867418799453
Fegert, J. M., Vitiello, B., Plener, P. L., & Clemens, V. (2020). Challenges and burden of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for child and adolescent mental health: A narrative review.Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 14(20). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-020-00329-3