I seem to have been diagnosed with "back-to-school anxiety disorder". Can I take sick leave?

Review expert: Chen Mingxin, national second-level psychological counselor, senior human resources manager

As the summer vacation comes to an end, the new semester is about to begin. Many people, from childhood to adulthood, have been anxious and unable to eat or sleep well the day or a few days before school starts, wishing they could turn back time and return to the time when the holiday just started. The topic of "school anxiety" on the Internet has also been at a high level.

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I feel uncomfortable when school starts. This is actually the "back-to-school syndrome" at work. So, what is the back-to-school syndrome? Why do I feel anxious and depressed every time school starts? How can I deal with it?

0 1What is Back to School Syndrome?

Back-to-school syndrome, also known as back-to-school phobia or school phobia, mainly occurs in students, especially at the end of the holiday and the beginning of the new semester. This symptom is manifested as a lack of adaptation and resistance to the new semester's study life, including physical and psychological symptoms such as mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, and loss of appetite, mainly affecting primary and secondary school students.

For parents, they also feel anxious every time school starts, mainly due to concerns about their children's future, reflections on parenting methods, and doubts about the school's education arrangements.

0 2Why does back-to-school syndrome occur?

Back-to-school syndrome is actually a psychological adaptive response, not a medical disease. So why does back-to-school syndrome exist?

Irregular work and rest schedule

During the holidays, students may be accustomed to a relaxed and free pace of life, but after school starts, they need to adapt to a more regular and intense study life. Previously, a study in The Lancet Psychiatry found that the disorder of the body's internal biological clock may increase the risk of emotional disorders. Students who have long been accustomed to "sleeping late and getting up late" during the holidays have to return to school life all of a sudden. The disruption of the body's biological clock can easily affect hormone secretion, resulting in emotional fluctuations.

Anxiety is contagious

It is not only students who have "back-to-school anxiety". The anxiety of school teachers and parents facing the back-to-school period will also be passed on to students. This phenomenon is called emotional contagion or emotional infection in psychology. Emotional contagion means that the emotional state of one person can affect the emotional state of another person through non-verbal communication. Especially in a group, if the members of the group generally show anxiety, then this emotional state may be regarded as a normal or expected reaction, thus affecting others.

The mechanism of emotional contagion Figure source Reference 4

Academic pressure

A new semester means new learning tasks and challenges. As students grow older, academic pressure becomes heavier and the expectations of family and teachers become higher. Naturally, some students regard the start of school as a "disaster."

Changes in interpersonal relationships

The new semester may bring changes in classes, teachers, and classmates, and the start of school also means dealing with interpersonal relationships at school. Many students worry that they will not be able to deal with conflicts with classmates and teachers well, and this excessive worry breeds a series of anxiety emotions.

0 3 How to relieve back-to-school syndrome

For students who are suffering from the back-to-school syndrome, we must face our emotions, make the problem specific, understand why we are anxious and depressed, and then take action to relieve our anxious and depressed emotions.

Alleviating the back-to-school syndrome requires not only self-adjustment by students, but also the joint attention of parents and teachers. Specifically, parents can adjust their children's schedules in advance, restore a regular rhythm of life, reduce the time spent watching TV and playing games, and increase outdoor activities to help their children adapt physically. At the same time, parents and schools should pay attention to students' emotional changes, help students adjust their mentality through communication and understanding, and organize group counseling lectures, fun games and other activities.

In addition to some psychological self-guidance and interference from others, you can also relieve anxiety physiologically through abdominal breathing. You should know that when you are nervous, anxious, and stressed, abdominal breathing can reduce the production of stress hormones and lower cortisol levels. It can bring the body back to the calm part of the nervous system, that is, the parasympathetic nervous system (controls digestion, rest, and can help slow down breathing and heart rate), and shut down the sympathetic nervous response responsible for "fight or escape."

If the child's symptoms persist for more than two weeks and there is no obvious relief, parents should take the child to the hospital in time for a face-to-face consultation and evaluation by a professional doctor so that they can get appropriate help and treatment.

References

[1] “Back to school syndrome” strikes: how can parents and children overcome this difficult time together?

[2] Are children anxious when school starts? Here are four tips to help them deal with the problem →

[3] Research: Disruption of the body’s internal biological clock increases the risk of mood disorders

[4] Zhang Qiyong, Lu Jiamei, Yan Zhiying, et al. The mechanism of emotional contagion[J]. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2016, 48(11): 1423-1433.

[5] After switching to “abdominal breathing”, my sleep improved unconsciously.