With the new school year set to begin on Monday, a doctor at Chi Mei Medical Center yesterday offered tips to parents on how to help their children avoid “back-to-school syndrome.”
Lin Chien-he (林健禾), a doctor at the Tainan-based medical center’s psychiatry department, said symptoms include a lack of energy, sore muscles, rapid heartbeat, general tiredness and upset stomach.
There are two main reasons why a student might experience the syndrome, Lin said — difficulty adapting to a new environment and difficulty getting out of “holiday mode” in terms of habits and routines.
Those most at risk are new students and students starting classes at a new school, she said.
Lin said parents had several options to guide their children as the new term approaches to ease the transition and prevent them from being afflicted.
These include gradually reducing the number of hours children watch television and surf the Internet, slowly adjusting their sleeping patterns and spending time with their kids to discuss their plans in the coming days in order to prepare them for the daily school routine and reduce the stress of making the transition back to class, Lin said.
“Being well-prepared is the most effective way of avoiding back-to-school syndrome,” she said.
Lin added that exercise is the best method of helping a person adjust to a new situation, and that it was also helpful for students in making the adjustment back to regular sleeping hours ahead of the start of the new school year.
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