How to Help a Child Cope with Social Anxiety in School
Teachers have a huge role in assisting learners to overcome anxiety attacks. Social anxiety is a big enemy working hard to hinder the learner from trying out new adventures in school. This prevents children from reaching their full potential and abilities.
Below are some strategies on how to help a child cope with social anxiety in school.
Prepare your Child for the Situation ahead
In case an event is coming up, prepare your child for the event ahead of time. A little time for rehearsal will go a long way in helping a child. Help the child to rehearse, and take some time to act as the audience. Be sincere in comments but do not inflate them with too much flattery. Enough preparation is enough to overcome anxiety attacks before a presentation.
Teach the Child Relaxation Skills
Relaxation skills will help a child get through overwhelming situations in school. Taking deep breaths and practicing progressive muscle relaxation are advanced skills for dealing with anxiety. Using these skills to calm down after an anxiety attack requires a little training and experience. Help a child out in any way you can to master these skills.
Encourage a child to Participate in More Activities
Children need to be more active during indoor and outdoor class activities. Identify the child who is afraid to participate for fear of failure. Make the child understand that failure is part of the learning process. For very shy children, you may employ some extrinsic motivational strategies.
Create Awareness among the School Community
Introduce programs that make students aware that their colleagues could be prone to anxiety attacks. Introduce books and videos of kids with no confidence but later got to learn how to control their anxiety episodes. Teach students how to help their shy colleagues overcome their worst fears and try out new adventures. Friends are the best option to help a student regain long lost self-esteem.
Inform the Relevant Bodies
The guidance and counseling department is very important in helping a child cope with social anxiety in school. Refer children with special needs to the guidance and counseling department. Make other teachers and the principal aware if necessary. Let their parents know if their child requires extensive professional help. Also let their parents know the role they play in shaping their child’s reaction to anxiety attacks.
Learn to Intervene in a helpful way
Motivate both negative and positive actions of the child accordingly. Identify the time you need to step back so that the child does not feel like he/she has been graded as a shy person. You may overlook some tendencies that may shame the child. Watch from a distance but learn to intervene at the most opportune moment.
It is not easy to apply some skills on how to help a child cope with social anxiety in school. Parents, teachers and classmates have an important role to play. Apply the above-listed skills and you will be sure to help your learners overcome anxiety in the school setting.
