Learn to manage back-to-school mental health

This article was first published in The Courier-Tribune on September 10, 2025

By Kennedie Clay
Special to the Courier-Tribune & Gladstone Dispatch

Many students find the start of a new school year to be daunting. While excited about the possibility of making new friends and other experiences, there is often concern about how they will measure up and if they can manage the many responsibilities that the new school year will bring.

Students commonly report concerns about walking into a new classroom or lunch area alone; encountering unfriendly classmates; the approachability of their teachers or professors; and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of change that comes with a new school year.

They report feelings of uncertainty about their ability to remember due dates,juggle both school and work or other extracurricular activities.

All of this comes in addition to managing mental health symptoms such as anxiety alongside academic stress, coupled with other internal pressures to succeed.

If you believe your student is feeling this way, consider sharing this list of coping strategies other students have found to be helpful:

• Check in with friends to find shared classes and down times;

• Use a planner or digital calendar to designate time to study and time for social activities;

• Organize assignments according to the due dates, ask questions when uncertain, and practice or familiarize themselves with the material beforehand;

• Have a solo dance party to move through the stress or set aside some time each week to do whatever they feel like;

• Focus their thoughts on the positive outcomes, rather than on any potential negative ones;

• Reframe change as a positive experience; and

• Talk with a therapist.

It is not uncommon for students to feel anxious or uncertain heading into a new school year. Encourage your student to use these tips and to talk to you, a trusted adult or therapist about any concerns, and to remember that he or she is not alone. With many thanks to the students who helped bring this article to life.

Kennedie Clay is a behavioral health therapist for patients of Liberty Hospital Primary Care. To learn more, visit libertyhospital.org/primarycare.