ORLANDO, Fla. – Bridgett talked to a therapist about healthy ways to get through the stress and anxiety of testing and finals season. Dr. Treshonda Baucom from Enriched Life Counseling says there are several ways to help students deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way.
She says parents should check to see how their student is feeling.
Help them prepare and focus with dedicated time and space to study, but remember they still need time to decompress and play.
“Make sure you’re giving time for breaks and relaxation. Kids need a break and relax time as well,” Baucom said.
She noted parents need to be mindful of their own words and feelings around their students as well.
“Anxious parents create anxious kids and calm parents create calm kids. Our nervous systems talk to each other and can mimic or reflect what another is thinking or feeling. It’s important we can check our own emotions and relay calm support and understanding to our kids too,” she said.
Baucom says the stress and anxiety can extend well before and after test days, so talking with a therapist and their teachers can help unlock the best ways to reach and assist your individual student’s needs.
“I always like to say the earlier you can work with it is the best. That’s when they’re forming their understanding, their coping skills, the tools that they’ll use. And the longer you wait, you have to go back and undo a lot of those things,” Baucom said.
Get more tips, watch the entire interview above.
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Learn more about Dr. Baucom and Enriched Life Counseling here: https://enrichedlifecounseling.com/
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