5 Tips for Overcoming Fear and Anxiety as Kids Go Back to School

Guest Post By John J. Murphy

Now that we face another school year, it isn’t just the children who struggle with anxiety and doubt. Parents do too. I remember this well, having raised four children myself. It seemed each year brought new things to worry about – from kindergarten through college. Bullying. Cliques. More challenging classes. Grades. Homework. Exams. Comparison. Competition. Advances in technology. Social media. Video games. Alcohol. Drugs. Guns. Violence.  What next?

Now for the good part. We don’t have to be afraid. There are some very simple practices we can use to not just cope with and manage stress but eliminate it at the root cause. This shift in mindset – from fear to love – is what A Course in Miracles defines as a miracle. It is a correction of misperception. It is an awakening.

So, here are five tips:

1. Be mindful and present. Train your mind to stay in the now. Fear and doubt and anxiety come from an untrained mind, a mind that frequently jumps from the past to the future. People feel afraid when they allow their mind to project a negative image onto the future. Oh no, what if I fail? What if I get hurt? What if my child gets hurt? What if I lose something of value? All these feelings are triggered by an untrained, wandering mind assuming the worst. We could just as easily assume a very positive outcome. What if I win? What if I do great? This shift in thinking shows us a very different world. We now feel excited, eager, and enthusiastic about the future, not stressed.
2. Meditate. Start your day with a quiet, peaceful meditation. Shut off the TV, the negativity and the drama. Relax your mind and body. Breathe deeply, inhaling to a count of four and exhaling to a count of four. Visualize your heart, your liver, your kidneys, your lungs, your brain, and the 50 trillion cells in your body relaxing, harmonizing, and rejoicing with life. Let the sacred life force flow through you without any resistance. Your body responds to your mind. Negativity and stress weaken your immune system and make you more vulnerable to illness and disease. Use meditation to boost your immunity and your creativity.
3. Be positive. Not only will this benefit you, it will benefit your children as well. They pick up on your vibe. We all know misery loves company. So does joy. Misery and joy are two very different energetic frequencies – both of which are measurable. And not only are they measurable, science now reveals that our thinking influences our DNA and our DNA influences the light particles (photons) all around us. In other words, some people truly do light up the room. Be one of them.
4. Be proactive. Another way to gain confidence and more inner peace is to be prepared. Like an athlete facing a competition, it helps to practice. Get yourself and your child organized and ready. Set some practical SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timed) and pace yourself. You have no reason to panic.
5. Be purposeful. Ask “Why?” Goals will help you focus on and align with the “What” and the “How” and the “When,” but you will be much more effective when your goals stir up passion in your heart. Think about why you are doing whatever it is you are doing. Is it because you have found a way to love it? Or are you doing it because you are afraid? What images are you holding in mind when you think about it? Inspiration comes from being in-Spirit and being in-Spirit means being in Love (i.e. fearless). Change your imagery (mind) and you will change your response.

So, it’s time to go back to school. What is one to think? How might a miracle-minded parent handle the situation?  With presence. With peace of mind. With positivity, action and purpose. Back to school? Yay! Let’s do this. Let’s learn. Let’s grow. Let’s meet new people and make new friends. Let’s explore new subjects. Let’s help out when others feel down. Let’s set an example of love. Let’s bring hope and inspiration to the situation. Let’s light up the room!

About the Author

John J. Murphy is a global business consultant, speaker, spiritual mystic, “zentrepreneur,” and award-winning author. He is Founder (1988) and CEO of Venture Management Consultants, Inc., a firm specializing in creating lean, high performance work environments.

As a business consultant, Murphy has delivered services to some of the world’s leading organizations, including ADP, AlliedSignal (Honeywell), BMW, Chase, the CIA, GE, GM, GSK, Hilton, Lockheed Martin, Merck, the Michigan State Senate, Perrigo, Prudential, Raytheon, Spectrum Health, Target Stores, Teva, and the US Navy. As an educator and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Murphy has trained thousands of people from over 50 countries, including Fortune 500 executives, project leaders, military leaders, managers, and black belts. He has mentored dozens of project teams in Organizational Development, Operational Excellence, Business Process Innovation and Lean Six Sigma applications. As a speaker, Murphy has delivered keynotes and seminars worldwide. A critically-acclaimed authority on peak performance, transformational leadership and healthy mind-body-spirit, Murphy is a best-selling author who has published 19 books and appeared on over 400 radio and television stations and his work has been featured in over 50 newspapers nationwide.

Murphy is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (BBA Finance) and the University of Michigan’s Human Resource Executive Program. He is also a former quarterback for Notre Dame.

Connect with John J. Murphy on Facebook @Author.John.J.Murphy, Twitter @sageleader, LinkedIn @johnjmurphymystic, YouTube @AuthorJohnJMurphy, Instagram @jjmurphy13 and visit www.johnjmurphy.org.

Miracle Minded Manager: A Modern Day Parable about How to Apply A Course in Miracles in Business releases on October 22, 2019 in paperback and e-Book.

*Bio Photo courtesy of John J. Murphy