Many students suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression with the transition of back-to-school. These back-to-school tips to improve mental health come from Dr. Howard Y. Liu, M.D., an adult, child and adolescent psychiatrist and chair of psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and father of four school-aged children.

1. Never Worry Alone
2. Spend quality time together regularly
3. Talk about bullying and teach kids how to be an ally for those being bullied
4. Get back into a reliable routine early
5. Have a daily family meal time
6. Quality exercise
7. Get enough sleep
8. Make time for stillness
9. Have time outside of school to connect with peers

Take Note Troupe Supports Mental Health

If your child is struggling with back-to-school stress, let Take Note Troupe support your efforts! Although Liu says seeing peers outside of the school setting is super important in the back-to-school tips to improve mental health, he recommends not to overwhelm them with too many extra curricular activities.

Unfortunately, many performing arts and theater programs require rehearsals every day of the week even outside of tech week. However, most of Take Note Troupe’s classes only require a single day of commitment during the week! This allows you to provide ample opportunities for stillness (Be Present) as Liu recommends in the article while still having a scheduled time to meet up with friends regularly at a set time (Let Go and Play).

Liu says teaching your children to be an ally for kids that are struggling a little bit is good. In Play Theory this is the principle Look Outward.

Take Note Troupe is a wonderfully warm and supportive community— it’s a great place for children to connect with friends and they are encouraged to ask what is needed and Accept and Build on others’ ideas.

Practice all of these Happiness Skills in all of our Play Theory classes and help beat back-to-school anxiety and depression!

*Read the full article here: Managing Back-to-School Stress: Mental Health Tips from Expert