It’s September!
Do you sometimes feel nervous at the start of a new school year? Lots of kids do.
The start of the school year is an exciting time to meet teachers, get classroom assignments, and find out about schedules. Are you learning about a topic this year that sounds like it might be a lot of work? Maybe you are in a different building and not sure how to get around. Do you want to try out for an afterschool activity or join a club?
All of this can seem overwhelming and make you feel nervous.
What is that feeling?
“Butterflies in your stomach” is a phrase to describe the nervous energy you might feel before the start of a new experience, a big event, or meeting people for the first time.
The bundle of energy and emotions you are experiencing usually means you want something to go well. A nervous feeling is part of the excitement that happens before you take part in something new and unfamiliar to you. It’s your body’s physical reaction and can be a part of the process of stretching yourself to step out of your “comfortable place.” It can be a positive step toward personal growth.
Feeling worried or nervous can actually be helpful to you. It can be a “stop-and-think” point to prepare for a new experience or challenge.
“What do I need to do to get ready?”
Ask yourself this question before you tackle a new school year, an audition for the school musical, or the tryout for the debate team, or a sport.
Move
Shake it off! Get moving to release some of that nervous energy. Shake out your hands like you are drying them when they are wet. Kick your feet like there is an imaginary soccer ball in front of you. Do some jumping jacks and run in place. Do head rolls to the left and to the right. This gets your blood flowing and can help to reset your nervous feelings and calm your mind and body.
Breathe
Practice deep breathing to calm your nerves. Inhale slowly through your nose, hold for a moment, and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Relax in the feeling of slow breathing when you need to help yourself focus.
Howie Fugate, who is 9-years-old, and his six-year-old brother, Hunter, are both in the same school in Staten Island, NY. They share that they know how to use breathing exercises to calm any nervous feelings.
“Mommy teaches us to use “box breathing” which is breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts, and rest for four counts.”
Howie, who has already been named class clown in his fourth-grade class also adds, “And cracking a joke always helps!”
Imagine
Prepare yourself for a challenge and use your power of imagination.
If you are feeling nervous about a situation, your imagination can be a tool to help you create a picture in your mind of you going through the process and being successful in the result.
You can do this anywhere and use the technique to imagine what you want to do to achieve a goal.
Liam McDermott, 12, of Pelham, NY, used his imagination to give himself a boost of confidence when he decided he wanted to try cross-country track at his school.
“I started out very self conscious about how well I would do on the team and if I would be able to do everything that was required for modified cross-country,” says Liam.
“I ended up telling myself that I would crush it and it would not be as hard as I expected.”
Liam says seeing himself in a situation is a skill he will always be able to use to feel confident in future attempts at trying something new.
“I envisioned a positive outcome on my way to the first practice. When I got there, I found out it was fun to get outside and that the work was just the right amount of challenge. And now I know for the future that at least if you try, you will have succeeded.”
Kids aren’t the only people who are feeling some butterflies at the beginning of a new year.
Ms. Lee Tennenbaum is a second-grade teacher at a school in Staten Island, NY and she has an important reminder as we get started this September.
“Your teachers are nervous too!”
