Helping Students with Anxiety: 4 Key Strategies Every Educator Should Know

Welcome! Please note that this post was shared previously on our site but has been updated. 

⚡︎ Essential Edge: Before educators can understand what to do to support students with anxiety, they must understand why what they are already doing isn’t helping.

As we all well know, educators play a vital role in supporting students with anxiety. By being aware of the signs and symptoms of anxiety, and by providing appropriate support, educators can help students to manage their anxiety and succeed in school.

However, there are some common missteps that educators can take when supporting students with anxiety. Here are a few of the most common, along with tips on how to correct them:

Misstep 1: Ignoring the signs of anxiety

One of the most common mistakes educators can make is ignoring the signs of anxiety. Anxiety can manifest in a variety of ways, and it is important for educators to be aware of the signs so that they can provide support to students who are struggling. Some of the signs of anxiety that educators should look for include:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Social withdrawal
• Trouble sleeping
• Physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, and nausea 

Tip: Acknowledge the issue. If you notice any of these signs in a student, it is important to talk to them about how they are feeling. Let them know that you are there to help and that you understand that anxiety is a real and serious condition.

Misstep 2: Labeling students with anxiety

It is important to avoid labeling these students. Anxiety is a spectrum, and everyone experiences it differently. Labeling a student with anxiety can make them feel stigmatized and make it more difficult for them to get the help they need.

Tip: Help them navigate. Instead of labeling students, focus on providing them with support and resources. There are many things that educators can do to help students with anxiety, such as:

• Creating a calm and supportive classroom environment
• Providing students with breaks throughout the day
• Helping students to develop coping mechanisms for anxiety
• Providing students with access to mental health resources

Misstep 3: Expecting students with anxiety to "just get over it"

Anxiety is a real and serious condition, and it’s not something that students can just "get over." Educators should avoid making statements such as, "You're just being anxious" or "There's nothing to be afraid of." These statements can invalidate students' feelings and make them feel like they are not being taken seriously.

Tip: Show your support. Acknowledge students' anxiety and let them know that it is okay to feel anxious. Educators can also provide students with information about anxiety and how to manage it.

Misstep 4: Not providing students with accommodations

Students with anxiety may need accommodations to succeed in school. Not providing students with this help can have several negative consequences, including:

• Students may feel frustrated and discouraged.
• Students may give up on their schoolwork.
• Students may fall behind in their classes.
• Students may drop out of school.

Tip: Foster calm. Some common accommodations that may be helpful for students with anxiety include:

• A quiet place to take tests
• Break times throughout the day
• Permission to leave class if they are feeling overwhelmed

The best advice of all: Educators should work with students to identify the accommodations that will be most helpful to them.

Resources:

• Walt Whitman quote image from BrainyQuote
• Post image by Jan Vasek from Pixabay