Managing Stress During Testing, Prom Season and Graduation

Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital sees an increased need in children for mental health support during Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) testing, prom season and graduation. Here are a few tips for parents to help their child manage these stressors:

Testing

• Ensure your child is getting enough sleep (9+ hours for 6 to 12-year-olds and 8+ hours for 13+) and eating a nutritious breakfast before testing.
• Wean down screen time before and during testing.
• Help your child create healthy study habits. Avoid cramming or marathon studying, especially the night before their tests. Aim for shorter study sessions (30-45mins) and regular breaks (5-10mins).
• Encourage your child to discuss the test and their feelings with you.
  • Let your child bring this up naturally and don’t probe them for answers.
  • Try to ask open ended questions; (E.g., How are you feeling about your upcoming tests? Are there any concerns you have about TCAPS?)
  • Validate feelings children are experiencing regarding TCAPS. Worry, frustration and/or sadness can all be normal.
  • Remind them it’s ok to be nervous and talk them through different scenarios to ease their mind. (Ex: What if the thing you are worried about does happen? What will you do? Will it be as bad as you think it will be?)
• Reassure your child their self-worth is not tied to their success on this test.
  • Have children identify things that are important to them.
  • Have them identify one thing they did well each day.
  • Create a worry box with your child and have them write their worries down and put it in the box.

Prom and graduation

• Manage prom expectations by discussing things like rejection and peer pressure.
  • Reassure and validate their feelings. Normalize other options like attending prom with friends instead of a date and encourage them to be present instead of comparing to others on social media.
  • Talk openly about the possible pressure to drink or engage in other activities and being comfortable saying no and feeling empowered to walk away from a situation.
  • Help children identify what their boundaries are. Encourage them to think through and develop a list of their boundaries
• Although graduation is exciting, it also comes with a lot of changes.
  • Discuss transitions with your child, including how to create structure when they begin classes and/or enter the workforce to help form a routine and ease anxiety being away from home or in new environments.
  • Acknowledge that friendships may change and remind them they will also meet new people and can create more meaningful connections.

If your child is having difficulty managing their stress, Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital recommends talking with your child’s pediatrician. Over the last two years, the hospital has invested in additional behavioral and mental health by placing Behavioral Health Consultants in primary care offices across the region. Behavioral Health Consultants are an integral part of primary care teams and work alongside primary care physicians by providing care for behavioral health concerns (e.g., ADHD, depression, anxiety, social difficulties, behavior concerns, weight management, potty training, medication management, etc). In addition, a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst has been placed in the hospital to support individuals experiencing more severe behavior, especially children on the autism spectrum disorder and the neurodiverse population.

Read More

Here are some great articles about how to help your kids manage stress in their lives, from Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital's KidsHealth Library:

• Stress

  Everybody feels stressed at time, even kids. But stress isn't always bad. It can help you stay safe or push you to be prepared for important tasks. This article helps kids know how to handle stress and what to do if it gets too much.

• Coping With Stress

  How well we get through a stressful situation depends a lot on us. It's how we deal with that makes all the difference. Here are some ways to understand and manage stress.

• Stressed About a Test? How to Cope

  If you feel stressed about a test, you’re not alone. You feel stressed because you care about doing well and you don’t want to do poorly. Here's what to do...

• Test Anxiety

  Everyone feels a little nervous and stressed before a test. For some people, this normal anxiety can be intense.

• Rejection and How to Handle It

  Rejection hurts. But it's impossible to avoid. Life is about going for things. And when we do, rejection is always a possibility.

• Childhood Stress: How Parents Can Help

  Stress is a normal response to changes and challenges. And life is full of those, even during childhood. Here are tips for parents on helping kids cope with normal stress and how to tell when stress is serious.

• 10 Ways to Manage Everyday Stress

  Everyday stressors have a way of piling up if we don't keep them in check. When you manage everyday stress, you’re better able to handle bigger challenges you might face.