Simple Breathing Exercises To Deal With Back-To-School Jitters

Back-to-school anxiety is a common experience for children as the summer winds to a close. Don't downplay these feelings. Instead, equip your kids to cope with smart strategies such as these easy breathing exercises to calm their nerves and create a sense of self-control.

How Can You Tell Your Child Has Back-To-School Anxiety?

Many children experience anxiety during the transition from summertime fun to school-year stressors. Every year brings a host of concerns, from which kids are in the class to what kind of teacher stands at the head. Returning to school can feel like starting a new job for your child, but this isn't an occasional challenge. It's something they face again and again.

Back-to-school jitters can manifest in many ways:

• Difficulty falling asleep.
• Repeated questions and concerns.
• Headaches and stomachaches.
• Tantrums.
• Clinginess.
• Avoidance of social activities.

It's important for parents to recognize and validate children's feelings without reinforcing unwarranted worries. This is a delicate balancing act, but the right approach will go a long way toward easing your kids' fears about the year.

What Are the Benefits of Breathing Exercises?

Deep breathing exercises support a full oxygen exchange. You naturally breathe this way when you're relaxed. However, forcing the body to practice calm breathing can achieve the same effect. Deep focused breathing:

• Slows the heart rate.
• Lowers blood pressure.
• Increases feelings of calm and well-being.
• Reduces stress hormones in the blood supply.
• Diminishes lactic build-up in muscles.
• Increases energy levels.
• Boosts the immune system.

When children learn how to harness the power of breathing exercises, they can achieve all these benefits at will. This improves their resilience, emotional regulation, focus, and coping skills. 

What Breathing Techniques Can You Try?

Now that you know the benefits of breathing exercises, it's time to master a few favorites. Pass these routines on to your kids so they can self-calm and center anywhere and anytime.

Technique 1: Balloon Breath

The balloon breath helps you recognize what deep breathing looks and feels like. In an age of sucking in your stomach, too many people are addicted to shallow chest breathing. A deep, healthy breath should push the diaphragm down and expand the belly like a balloon.

Practice the balloon breath by:

• Laying flat on the floor with one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly.
• Breathing deeply into the belly so that it expands like a balloon while keeping the chest flat.
• Exhaling fully so the "balloon" in your belly deflates.
• Pursing your lips to exhale as though you're blowing up a balloon.
• Placing a stuffed animal on the belly and watching it rise and fall with the balloon breaths.

Once you've mastered this exercise lying down, you can practice it standing up with a hand on the belly. Ultimately, your child will learn to do it anywhere.

Technique 2: Counting Breath

Counting will help you practice slow, mindful breathing. Once you've mastered belly-focused balloon breathing, you'll know how to breathe properly by expanding your diagram. Use this technique when counting your breaths.

• Breathe in for a count of one.
• Breathe out for a count of one.
• Breathe in for a count of two.
• Breathe out for a count of two.
• Continue through a count of five.

By the time you've completed this exercise, you'll have slowed your breathing significantly. Teach your children to use this technique when they're having trouble slowing their breath down. Focusing on the count will help force the mind away from other anxieties and focus instead on the present.

Technique 3: Five-Finger Breathing

Five-finger breathing is a powerful sensory exercise. It incorporates sight and touch into the activity. This draws the focus to the present moment and what you're currently doing, which can help you let go of anxieties connected to past or future events. To carry out this technique:

• Hold out the non-dominant hand with the fingers spread wide.
• Trace the thumb from the outer base to the inner corner with the opposite hand's index finger.
• Breathe in as the finger moves up.
• Breathe out as the finger moves down.
• Trace the next finger up while breathing in.
• Trace the finger down while breathing out.
• Repeat for all other fingers.
• Switch hands and repeat the exercise.

Your child can quietly practice this breathing technique under their desk or on the bus. This is a powerful way to increase mindfulness and discourage wayward thoughts and unfounded fears.

How Can You Add Breathing Exercises to Your Day

Add breathing exercises to your daily school prep routines to encourage a calm atmosphere where children are empowered to manage their emotions. Start with one technique and then gradually introduce others. Practice a quick breathing routine before you head out the door or during the drive to school. If anxieties reappear in the evening, use deep breathing during homework time.

As these activities become routine at home, children will feel more comfortable drawing on them at school. Mindful breathing can quickly become a habit that helps your kids self-calm in times of trouble.

What Tips Can You Follow to Improve Mindfulness for You and Your Children?

It's important to practice smart parenting tips for improving mindfulness throughout your daily routines. Remember that guardians and caregivers set the tone for the whole house. Lead by example and use these techniques whenever you're feeling stressed out. Don't hide your own anxieties. Instead, create a culture of open communication. Let your kids know when you're feeling nervous and show them how you handle it with these same mindfulness strategies.

Anxiety is normal during the back-to-school season for both students and parents. You're the go-to guru for your kids, but do you have someone to talk to as well? Our Psychics can provide a sounding board through this stressful time and help you keep your cool so your kids can stay chill, too.