Back to School (Happiness or Sadness)

It’s that time of year again.  Can you believe it?  August AND back to school time.  This time of year can stir up a lot of feelings for a variety of individuals.  In this day and time, we have kids who go to public and private schools.  We have stay-at-home moms and dads.  We have home schooling.  We have caregivers/parents/guardians who work as well.  Along with the variety of individuals as well as the variety of schooling, people can have a lot of anxiety as well as depression.

Words that come to my mind when I hear back to school is money, clothes, school supplies, shopping, bullying, safety issues, etc.  It is very expensive to get all the items needed for school.  Safety issues in this day and time have deemed it to make things very specific like clear backpacks, etc.  We now have to purchase hand sanitizer and more tissues and no pointy scissors.  Then, if you do not like to shop, it makes it worse.  Sadly enough, people are almost as pushy and vicious during this time of year as they are on Black Friday.  Right?!  

Clothing is just as bad.  Some schools require uniforms which cannot obviously be purchased easily although it is getting better than it used to be.  Some schools have a dress code regarding the sayings on T-shirts, how short you can wear your shorts, and how much shoulder you can show with girls tops.  There are even schools where you cannot wear certain colors due to gang problems. 

Now, if you home school obviously some of this may not apply.  However, you have to get organized from a teacher’s point of view.  You have to be prepared on things you want to teach and supplies you have to buy.  She have to work on managing teaching time as well has keep up a household.  

Then there is another issue maybe not talked about as much which is stress because their children are going back to school and they will be all alone.  Many moms and dads are excited the kids are going back to school so the house will be less cluttered and quieter and the electric bill may even go down from the doors opening and closing all the time.  Some people have anxiety and depression because their children are going back to school.  The feelings of not being needed surface.  Sometimes having an idle mind or being alone is difficult.  

Here are some ideas to help you in some of these areas no matter which way you feel:

·         Get someone to do your school supply shopping for you (as a grandma I enjoy doing that)

·         Shop on line for school supplies and clothes

·         Make a lunch date with a friend and do it together

·         If you aren’t an organized person, find someone who loves to do that and have them help or do it for you

·         If you don’t like being alone, find an activity to do during school hours when you kids are at school

·         Make a new friend

·         Volunteer

·         Work on holiday things now so you aren’t so stressed out at holiday time.  If you get started on it now, you will be able to enjoy the holidays and be less stressed then

·         Read

·         Find new recipes

·         Find a project

These can be difficult times for different reasons.  Since you already know certain things cause anxiety and/or depression, your best plan of action is to plan ahead.  This will help keep you in a good place!!! 

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States.  An estimated 40 million adults in the United States have an anxiety disorder.  This does not include teenagers and children who suffer from this disorder.  

There are different types of anxiety disorders with different symptoms.  However, all anxiety disorders have one thing in common: persistent, excessive fear or worry in situations that are not threatening.  People can experience one or more of the following symptoms:

Emotional symptoms:

• Feelings of apprehension or dread

• Feeling tense and jumpy

• Restlessness or irritability

• Anticipating the worst

Physical symptoms:

• Pounding or racing heart and shortness of breath

• Upset stomach

• Sweating, tremors and twitches

• Headaches, fatigue and insomnia

• Upset stomach, frequent urination or diarrhea

Below are different types of anxiety disorders including:  

Panic Attacks

The feelings of a panic attack have similar symptoms to a heart attack.  A panic attack can have symptoms such as chest pain, heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath and stomach upset.  Many people will go to desperate measures to avoid having an attack, including social isolation or avoiding going to specific places.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The feelings with disorder are chronic, exaggerated worrying about everyday life.  This can consume hours each day, making it hard to concentrate or finish routine daily tasks.  This can cause you to be exhausted by worrying and may experience headaches, tension or nausea.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Unlike shyness, this disorder causes intense fear about social humiliation–“saying something stupid,” or “not knowing what to say.”  Someone with social anxiety disorder may not take part in conversations, contribute to class discussions, or offer their ideas, and may become isolated.

Causes of these anxiety disorders can be genetic and/or stressful/traumatic events such as abuse, death of a loved one, violence or prolonged illness.

The physical symptoms of an anxiety disorder can be easily confused with other medical conditions like heart disease or hyperthyroidism.  Therefore, a doctor will likely perform an evaluation involving a physical examination, an interview and lab tests. After ruling out a medical illness, the doctor may recommend a person see a psychiatrist to make a diagnosis.  A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in mental health disorders and can prescribe medications if needed.

As each anxiety disorder has a different set of symptoms, the types of treatment that physician may suggest can vary as well.  But there are common types of treatment that are used such as counseling, medications and/or learning relaxation techniques.

I pray this provides good information in understanding one area of mental health issues.