“The Garden City News,” Aug. 11, 2017

“What?! Summer’s Over?” How to Make Positive Transitions into the School Year

by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Aug 22, 2017 | Blog

There’s no putting it off. Summer is waning and that means school is right around the corner. Although it’s no surprise when the bus comes that first day, the change can be hard for anyone to handle. The transition from carefree summer days to school days is challenging. And it’s not just kids who are stressed. Parents also suffer from the back-to-school jitters.

While parents appreciate that their children will be taken care of during the day, it is still stressful to make sure that they are emotionally fully prepared to start or return to school.  Kids may experience conflicting thoughts between wanting to go back to see their friends, and yet still being scared and anxious to leave home.

Here are some tips on how to make the transition easier:

1. Manage your own anxiety in a proactive way so your children will learn healthy ways to cope. The less anxious you are about the situation, the less anxious they will be.
2. Ease back into scheduled days: It can be hard to go from a summer of leisure to a packed schedule in a few days’ time. Instead, start to immerse your family into a scheduled lifestyle before school starts (earlier bed and wake-up times, for example) so that they are not rudely awakened come the start of the school year.
3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle: Make sure that both you and your kids are getting a balanced diet and a good night’s sleep.
4. Find one-on-one time with your child and engage them in conversations about the start of the new school year. Encourage them to talk about situations (meeting new teachers, who to sit with at lunch, what to do if there’s a bully in your class, etc.) that might be challenging. It will ease their minds—and yours—if they have a plan.
5. Embrace the idea of education: An education is a wonderful thing that kids can easily take for granted. Try to help them to understand how fortunate they are to attend school and make it an experience that they are excited about.
6. Focus on the positive aspects of a new school year: Find the little things that make your family happy during the school year such as seeing friends, engaging in extra-curricular activities, and learning new skills. Having something to look forward to will keep your kids motivated.

The Benefits of Healthy Self-Esteem & Healthy Self-Image for Children

by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Aug 16, 2017 | Blog

As the summer comes to an end and back to school is on the mind, let’s consider our kid’s mental well-being. It can be hard to walk down the halls of a school when you’re not feeling good about yourself. Help your kids start off the school year on the right foot by promoting their self-esteem and self-image.

Here are some tips parents can share with their children:

1. Stop critiquing yourself: Everyone has flaws- whether you can see them or not. Find what you love about yourself and focus on those aspects.
2. Embrace your uniqueness: Be yourself by doing what you love.
3. Don’t let others bring you down: No matter your age, you will come in contact with people who disagree with you and/or are unkind. Learn to ignore what others have to say and remain positive.
4. Don’t compare yourself to others: It’s common and normal to be envious of what it seems others have and you do not. Remember that we never know the full scope of what others are coping with and be appreciative for the blessings in your own life.
5. Sometimes “good enough” is ok: Most everything in life will not be perfect. Learn to set reasonable expectations of yourself and others and to be forgiving when things don’t go as planned.
6. Dress to impress (yourself): When you look good, you feel good too. Wear an outfit that reflects your true colors and makes you feel comfortable.
7. Be healthy: Exercise regularly, eat well, and get sufficient sleep. You’ll feel great and function better. Your body will thank you later if you do.
8. Do things that you enjoy: Find a hobby that makes you happy and try to integrate it into your schedule.
9. Set attainable goals for yourself: Goal setting gives us something to strive for and anticipate. Once you achieve your goal, allow yourself to feel pride in your accomplishment before moving on to the next one.
10. Smile! It’s actually proven to make you feel good.

Off to College

by North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center | Aug 9, 2017 | Blog

Going off to college, whether it is your first time or your last can be a lot to manage. There are so many internal and external costs and benefits.  The responsibility of independence, as well as social, academic, and financial commitments, can feel overwhelming.  The transition to college, while exciting, can often add a great deal of stress to one’s life.

Be equipped to make this upcoming year a happy and healthy one by utilizing these mental health tips:

1. Stay organized: Keeping track of what you have to do, when you have to do it, and what supplies you might need, will make life a whole lot easier. This will alleviate any worrying about missing deadlines and should hopefully keep you from last minute cramming sessions.
2. Eat healthy: Maintaining a healthy diet will help to keep your body balanced and feeling good. This should also help to prevent you from getting sick.
3. Get some sleep: Newfound freedom and additional responsibilities often result in college students getting less sleep than they did in high school. Getting at least 6 hours of sleep is crucial to proper brain-development, staying focused in class, retaining as much knowledge as possible, and maintaining your physical health.
4. Get involved: Follow an existing passion or find a new passion on campus. This will help you to connect with your school’s community and can lead to new experiences.
5. Avoid drug/alcohol abuse: It is an unfortunate reality that there is an increased access to drugs and alcohol on college campuses. Do not turn to these substances as a means of fitting in or addressing the stressors of college life. If you find yourself struggling with pressure to use drugs or are caught in the cycle of addiction, please reach out to the Guidance Center at 516-626-1971 for help.
6. Consider coping mechanisms: College can be a very stressful time. Between the classwork, exams, social life, and personal life, it all adds up. Find something that allows you to decompress such as exercising, crafting, listening to music, or speaking with a friend or family member.
7. Find a support network: Through your experiences, you will become close with friends, faculty, and staff. Allow yourself to build a network with those that you relate to and trust.
8. Visit your school’s counseling center: Many colleges and universities provide counseling services for limited to no cost. Be proactive and take note of their number or location on campus in case you find yourself in need of their services.
9. Be flexible: College is a time of significant change for most young people. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the growth process. Not everything works out how we want to or how we expect it. This time in your life presents a great opportunity to build up your resilience and to learn various techniques for overcoming obstacles and correcting divergences in the future.
10. Make the most of it: Study, stay safe, stay healthy, and have fun!