We have almost made it to the end of another school term and school holidays are just around the corner! It can be a weird feeling “end-of-term-itis” – a mixture of relief, exhaustion, excitement, anxiety. Our children are often feeling tired, their brains have been working overtime to learn, grow and develop new pathways. It takes a lot of resources for the nervous system to do all of these things, so it makes sense that it gets a little tired. This may be showing up in restless sleep, meltdowns, behavioural issues and general rattiness.
School holidays can be a struggle for some children as they leave behind the routine of the school term, so some of the emotional regulation struggles can be heightened. Here are some top tips for combating “end-of-term-itis“:
- Do something physical – getting to the outside, going for a walk, riding bikes, perhaps jumping on the trampoline that hasn’t been used for ages. This will help your child burn off that extra nervous energy that can build up at the end of term. It will also help your child’s nervous system be “tired” enough to sleep more deeply at night.
- Get out into nature – preferably with bare feet, even though it’s a bit chilly right now! Turning off the devices and connecting with nature is grounding and centring, it will help your child’s nervous system shift gears into its “rest and digest” phase.
- Do something creative – creating or making with the hands is calming and will focus any of that end-of-term anxiety into a new project. It could be art, building, baking – anything that involves getting those creative juices flowing.
https://www.evolvemanualtherapy.com.au/that-end-of-term-feeling/
Mr Sam Johnstone
Deputy Principal: Pastoral Care and Well-Being