I started taking Zumba classes second semester of my junior year in college. For the first few months of classes, I only went because my friends wanted to go. I would feel anxious a few hours before the class and spend time thinking about how my feet tripped over one another and how hard I had to try not to fall down while others were spinning in pretty circles. I was so nervous that I was not enjoying myself at all and I certainly was not growing to be a better dancer. This kind of anxiety in the classroom, even in a fun setting like Zumba, can be surprisingly common. It’s important to remember that students of all ages can feel pressure to perform well, whether it’s academically or in extracurricular activities.

“You’re a good dancer,” my friend Ally casually said to me over dinner after class one day.

What a monumental thing to say! And hearing her say it made me realize the thought that I’d been holding at the forefront of my mind this whole time was “I am a terrible dancer. Everyone will find out and then I will surely be humiliated.” No wonder Zumba class was such an excruciating experience! The truth about this world is that we are what we believe ourselves to be. I believed that I was a terrible dancer, so I made sure with all of my actions and my anxiety that this would be true. At this time in my life, I realized how much my self-perception and anxiety were holding me back, not just in dance, but in all areas of life. I decided that I could believe something different about myself. This is an important lesson for students as well. Positive self-talk can be a powerful tool in combating anxiety and building self-confidence.

Other than anecdotal evidence from our own lives, research shows more of the same. In a 2003 study out of Pace University, Dr. Staci Beth Friedman found that a “significant negative correlation exists between anxiety and self-perceived competence, with no significant gender differences”. (Source) The inverse relationship is also true – when children’s self-perceived competence is lacking, their anxiety tends to be high. In a comparative study of adolescents in the United States and England, researchers found a strong positive correlation between self-confidence and academic achievement. This highlights the importance of addressing student anxiety, as it can have a direct impact on academic performance.

We, as parents and teachers, have the opportunity to minimize instances of student anxiety and make confidence and resilience a habit in the lives of our children. By creating a supportive and encouraging classroom environment, and by teaching students healthy coping mechanisms and relaxation techniques, we can help them manage their anxiety and reach their full potential.

Recognizing the Signs of Anxiety in Students

As parents and teachers, we play a crucial role in recognizing when a child or student is struggling with anxiety. Sometimes, anxiety can be obvious, like a child experiencing separation anxiety when leaving for school or a student with test anxiety who freezes up during exams. But often, anxiety can manifest in more subtle ways.

1) Physical Symptoms

Keep an eye out for physical symptoms that might indicate anxiety. These can include:

• Stomach aches
• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Changes in appetite or sleep patterns
• Increased heart rate or rapid breathing

2) Behavioral and Emotional Signs

Anxiety can also affect a student’s behavior and emotions. You might notice:

• Avoidance of certain situations or activities, like social situations or group work
• Difficulty concentrating or completing tasks
• Increased irritability or emotional outbursts
• Excessive worry or fear
• Changes in academic performance
• School refusal in more extreme cases

3) Anxiety in Different Age Groups

It’s important to remember that anxiety can look different in different age groups.

• Younger children might cling to parents, express excessive worry about being separated, or have trouble sleeping alone.
• High school students might experience social anxiety, feel pressure to get good grades, or struggle with making new friends.
• College students often face increased anxiety related to academic pressure, social challenges, and navigating their daily life independently.

By being attentive and proactive, we can help students navigate the challenges of anxiety and build resilience for a happy and successful future.

Strategies for Reducing Student Anxiety

In a subject that students are pre-dispositioned to have anxiety about, make sure that there are as many predictable factors as possible. Unpredictability can trigger anxiety symptoms and increase stress in students, especially those prone to overwhelming anxiety. Math-U-See Student Workbooks, for example, uses the same set of pages structured in the same way for each lesson. The pages are also simple and uncluttered. The manipulatives are the same for multiple years. This provides an environment that the student’s mind can rest knowing that the only thing that will be new is the concept being presented – they do not have to waste their precious mental energy worrying about any other aspect of the lesson.

Building Routine

Building routine into your child’s day is another effective strategy for reducing anxiety. This applies to teaching and learning as well as the rest of your daily life. When children can depend on a schedule and consistent people involved in that schedule, they are more able to settle their minds and take risks in other areas of their lives. A predictable routine can help alleviate separation anxiety in younger children and reduce generalized anxiety in older students. Create a routine, inform your child about that routine, then review it with some regularity. This will help them feel safe and secure, and reduce the fear and uncertainty that can contribute to anxiety.

Open Communication

One of the most important things you can do is to create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their feelings. Encourage open communication and let them know you’re there to listen without judgment.

If you notice persistent anxiety symptoms in a student, it’s important to reach out to parents and consider involving school personnel like counselors or school psychologists. In some cases, it may be necessary to seek professional help from a mental health professional who can provide individual students with the support and tools they need to manage their anxiety.

Strategies for Increasing Student Confidence

Give students small challenges that they perceive as impossible so that once they accomplish it, their self-perceived ability to accomplish tasks in general is increased. This can be especially beneficial for students struggling with test anxiety or school anxiety, as overcoming small challenges can build their confidence for larger tasks. Give aid where necessary, but be wary of performing the task for your child or student because of your own impatience. Know that though the task of learning a dance step may seem small to you, the actual task is changing pathways in the brain that have been so ingrained so that your child is able to think differently about themselves.

Give appropriate, ample, and timely praise. This praise should be two kinds – both love that is unconditional and praise for effort exerted. Avoid encouraging perfection; instead, praise your child or student for confronting a challenge, not giving up, and learning from both the failure and the success wrapped up in each experience. Remember that what we say to children becomes the soundtracks of what they say to themselves for the rest of their lives. This positive self-talk can help them navigate social challenges, academic performance, and other areas of their daily life with greater confidence.

It’s also crucial to recognize the symptoms of anxiety and to seek professional help when necessary. A mental health professional can provide individual students with the tools and strategies they need to overcome anxiety and other mental health issues. Sometimes, anxiety can be a symptom of underlying mental health problems that require professional intervention.

The future belongs to our children, and we want them to be people who can see themselves as capable and resilient people. The building of this attitude starts with us now.