While the month of September can mean different things for different people, for many, it means the start of a new school year. The school year comes with plenty of new opportunities, but it can also bring about new or existing anxieties that your children might not have dealt with during the summer months.
Anxiety and panic attacks are tough on their own, even without the added stress of a school environment. However, there are plenty of methods and ideas that might help your children better deal with these attacks while at school or away from the comfort of their own home.
Belly Breathing
One of the most important things someone can do when experiencing a panic attack is to focus on breathing. While this may seem simple to some, it can be extremely difficult for someone experiencing an attack.
If that is the case, have them try to follow these steps:
- Lay on the floor and place one hand on their stomach
- Breathe in slowly and focus on how their stomach expands
- Breathe out slowly and focus on how their stomach deflates
- Repeat these steps for several minutes or until the attack has subsided
5-4-3-2-1 Technique
During a panic attack, grounding yourself in your surroundings can be a powerful way to bring you back to earth.
When a child experiences a panic attack, have them either find or describe:
- 5 objects they can see
- 4 objects they can feel or touch
- 3 things they can hear
- 2 things they can smell
- 1 thing they can taste
Lemon Squeezy
The Lemon Squeezy method helps your child imagine a scenario while releasing the tension they might feel in their hands or arms.
If they’re starting to experience an attack, have them try the following:
- Imagine they’re underneath a lemon tree
- Stretch both hands in the air and grab an imaginary lemon or two
- Tighten fists and squeeze hard to extract the juice into a cup
- Dispose of the lemons and relax the hands
- Repeat these steps until there is enough lemonade to fill a glass
- Once the glass is full, have them shake out their hands and relax
Ice Water
While this method might seem unusual and potentially easier to execute at home rather than at school, it can alleviate panic attack symptoms and calm a child down almost immediately.
When your child starts to experience an attack, have them dunk their face into a bowl of ice water. This helps decrease their heart rate dramatically, which in turn will help calm them down quickly.
Extra Tips for Teachers
While practicing these methods will be helpful in the moment, it’s also essential to keep items in the classroom that can help alleviate stress or calm a child down. Make sure these items are easily accessible to any children who might need them.
- Since lavender has a calming effect, many individuals use it to relax or reduce stress. Keeping lavender-scented items or oils handy can potentially help students calm down or alleviate their panic attack symptoms.
- Fidget toys or sensory objects can help students refocus or gain control over their emotions. Keeping a “calm down kit” accessible in your classroom allows students to grab whatever items they need when they feel anxious or panicked.
- Yoga can help regulate a student’s stress response system and improve their mood or functioning. Try to incorporate yoga in the classroom daily or weekly to help decrease anxiety in your students.
Remind your child that this feeling is not permanent! While they might feel like their panic attack will go on forever, help them realize that the panic attack will always end.
Figuring out what calming exercises work best for your children can feel overwhelming. By visiting the Vision Development Center of Lancaster, you’ll meet with some of the best ADHD doctors and ADD therapists in Lancaster, PA.
Through our vision therapy, most patients note a change in concentration, stress, and frustration after the first set of twelve visits. After the program is complete, the majority of patients report being free from ADD/ADHD symptoms, able to lower medication dosage, or able to stop medication altogether.
Contact us to talk to an expert today!