Dear Loved Ones,
Is the defensive attitude turning into low energy? Are gloomy moods turning into depression, anxiety or both? This is when we know it is time to redirect our efforts.
Chronic stress begins to convince our minds that we are in some sort of long lasting crisis. When our brains are feeling overwhelmed with this concern, it becomes a lot less interested in learning, focusing, remembering or… cleaning our rooms.
School is tough enough for our struggling students, without the added weight of emotional turmoil or anxious tension to also slow them down.
This will be a better semester because we know that Mental Health Matters More.
❤️ This WILL be a better semester because we can plan for the predictable struggles and use the strategies that match.
“If they’d just get caught up! They’d feel so much better!”
Nope.
We need to turn that script around. Especially during the Mid-Semester Slump phase of the Semester Lifecycle.
“If they feel better, they can get their brain to work for them.”
Yep.
What Can We Do?
We are in charge of their health, happiness, and welfare. That is a big enough job itself. Do not cast those responsibilities aside in lieu of schoolwork. Stay in your lane. Don’t be the teacher. Don’t… be… the… teacher.
HEALTH
That stressed brain needs sleep. Sleep is when our brain detoxifies. We need that to happen. This means cutting homework time off at 8:00 (ish), no matter what is finished or not finished.
Aim for 10 hours of sleep for your struggling student. Let them sleep in on the weekends. Get real serious about not staying up too late on school nights.
That blood needs nutrients. Our student’s brains have to work harder to get focused and stay productive. Their brains are burning through nutrients, glucos, and water. I wrote a little something about nutrients here: Optimize The Brain.
That brain needs blood. Get the toxins washed out, ad get the nutrients carried in. Do this with body movement: walks, chores, sports, activities. Make small daily changes like parking far from the store entrance, ask them to carry groceries, and send them to get the mail. Get them moving as much as you can.
HAPPINESS
Balance stress with fun. It is tempting to ground kids for poor academic performance, but what if their current performance is the best they have right now? Grounding isn’t typically helpful and doesn’t really work anyway.
Encourage play time with friends, within time limits. Organized and supervised playtime is the best, such as sports, activities, clubs, church groups, and gaming groups.
Happiness is the antidote to self harm thoughts. It is important. What makes your student smile? What makes them laugh?
WELLBEING
Your love. Our children are hardwired to physically function better when they feel loved by their caregiver. Dopamine, serotonin, hemoglobin, no endorphins all rise as a biological response to a parent’s love. That’s freaken powerful. Use that power.
Sense of achievement. If this doesn’t come naturally, you can make a point of providing praise for good deeds during the first step of the Grade Report Meeting. Point out what is going well, and be so specific that they can’t deny the truth of your statements.
Sense of belonging. Sports, activities, clubs, and church is typically a good resource for this need. If your child doesn’t have a group they feel they belong to, they will find it for themselves, and this is often when we run into trouble. However, you can help by celebrating your student’s role in the family system.
Sense of skillfulness. All kids need to feel like they are good at something. This is our best month to lean into those interests and natural abilities that dont have report cards attached to them. There is so much more to your child than their reading and math abilities. Artistic? Empathetic? Inventive? Musical? Creative? Athletic? Magnify, point out, talk about, and praise all of those beautiful natural gifts.
Free Downloads
Adjusting our typical responses is tough. Could you use a visual reminder (like I do) to keep your mindset on track through the week?
Are you concerned your student may be developing anxiety or depression? Trust your instincts and don’t wait to connect them with a caring professional. Here are some resources that could help:
