Handling back-to-school anxiety can be challenging for everyone. However, students, parents, and teachers can find tips and tricks from the movie Inside Out 2, which came out this summer. Here are some ideas for calming one of the new emotions we meet in the second film—anxiety!
Acknowledge and Validate Feelings
Both the first and second Inside Out films underscore the importance of recognizing our feelings. Sometimes students, especially young ones, have difficulty giving a name to their emotions. When this happens, try having them describe what they feel (e.g., butterflies, heaviness) and then help them name the emotion. Getting a feelings chart that illustrates emotions is also beneficial.
After students name their feeling, it’s essential to take the next step and validate the emotion. It’s ok for students to feel nervous, anxious, or even scared. Just as we see in Inside Out 2, emotions are not wrong or right; they simply show up based on our thoughts and past experiences. Acknowledging and validating how we feel is an important first step in managing anxiety.
Develop Coping Mechanisms
As we see in Inside Out 2, emotions can work in our favor when we regulate them—or they can wreak havoc if we let them take over our “control panel,” so to speak. Several characters in the movie demonstrate practical coping mechanisms students can use. For example, if they are feeling anxious, students can take deep breaths to help to calm the nervous system. Additionally, they can focus on what they see, hear, smell, and feel, which is a mindfulness technique that grounds you in your environment in the present and gets you out of your own head.
Before class begins, students can also practice visualization techniques. These can be quick guided meditations, or students can simply close their eyes for a few minutes and imagine themselves in a calm, peaceful place where they feel relaxed and content.
Encourage Peer Connections
One of the central themes of Inside Out 2 is the importance of social connection. There’s no doubt that students benefit from adult support in school, but peer support is also essential. For some kids, back-to-school anxiety stems from worries about acceptance by their peers. Teachers can encourage connections between classmates by fostering a positive learning environment for all and creating opportunities for group work.
The most important aspect of using peer connection to calm anxiety is that students understand they aren’t alone in their feelings. When we feel anxious, we have the tendency to isolate, which can increase our risk for depression. If students are aware that others also sometimes feel nervous and anxious, they will be more likely to reach out to those peers when they are having issues. Inside Out 2 does an amazing job of showing how resilient young people can be with the support of their friends and social connections.
By: Kelli Drummer-Avendano
Also read:
Eight Ways to Relax During the Back to School Craziness
4 Fun Ideas to Get Students Ready for Back-to-School
5 Ways to Welcome Students Back to the Classroom
