Wellness

As students return to school, many adults are also facing a mental reset—managing changing schedules, increased responsibilities, emails and communication from their child’s school, financial pressures, and the emotional toll of these transitions. A growing body of research suggests that how we react to stress and stressful life events can increase the risks for thinking about and attempting suicide.

Back-to-School Tips for Caregivers

Sarah Hamill Skoch, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at UC Health in the department of psychiatry, shares strategies for managing stress, establishing healthy routines, and recognizing when everyday pressure turns into anxiety, burnout or something more. 

Take it Slow

Keep the afternoons quiet if possible. It’s okay to say no to extra play dates or social activities, especially during the first week or two back into a new school year. There are many activities and social events you will need to attend, so it is okay to say no to optional events in order to free up your and your child’s schedules.

Parents - Keep Your Own Routines for Wellness and Exercise

Take a walk, move your body – this can decrease your overall stress and promote a relaxation response in your body. Even a few minutes a day of exercise can be helpful in reducing stress.

Behavioral Activation

Spend time engaging in a pleasant activity. Maybe this is a hobby, or being outside, or spending time with a pet or friend. This does not have to be expensive or take a lot of time, but 30 minutes of time doing something that you enjoy.

Focus on Your own Relaxing Bedtime and Evening Routine

Have some downtime before bed. Parents who are able to carve out time to decompress is always a great strategy for managing stress. Those first few weeks of school, adults might be tempted to stay up late or organize, but the downtime will be important for their mental health and powering down before the next day.

Be Patient and Give Yourself Grace at the Beginning of a New Year

Maybe your child is starting a new school, or you have a child going from middle to high school, and there is a lot of information being given out in the first few weeks. Know that it is okay and that new routines take time to form. You and your child might take time to adjust to the new routines.

Get Rid of any “Should” Statements About the new School Year and Parenting

“I should be doing this” or “I should be spending more time on this project”. Letting go of “should” statements can be very helpful for parents.

Using Resources

If there is something you want help with related to parenting – maybe it is understanding a particular age group, or learning more about a challenge your child is having. Reading articles or books on that topic can be a great way to grow your parenting skills so you have more tools in your toolkit to manage the everyday stressors. See book recommendations from Dr. Hamill Skoch

Talk about it!

People often don’t realize how common parenting stress and burnout really are. Talking about this can normalize stress and also facilitate social support.

Find Support Through UC Health in Cincinnati

It is always important for adults to seek additional support when everyday stress starts to feel like burnout, anxiety or something more. Difficulty sleeping, physical signs of anxiety (heart pounding, feeling dizzy) or panic, difficulty getting out of bed or difficulty doing everyday tasks are all signs to talk to someone. Mental health professionals can support you in reducing these symptoms, increasing coping, and growing your parenting skills.

Here at UC Health we have a team of psychologists and mental health professionals who offer talk therapy and other treatment options.

If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide or in a mental health crisis, get help 24/7:

• 988: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - call or text 
• 513-584-5098: UC Health Mobile Crisis Team (Hamilton County Residents)
• 513-584-8577: UC Health Psychiatric Emergency Services