Category: Mental Health and Wellness

How Coping Skills Can Help Your Child Manage Stress

Whether your child is completing their academic program or is preparing to study abroad in the U.S. for the first time, they likely are experiencing varying degrees and forms of stress. For adolescents—especially in our post-pandemic world—having access to and understanding healthy coping skills is critical. When a situation feels painful or overwhelming, students may default to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as:

• avoidance—attempting to avoid a stressful situation; 
• misdirected anger—using rage or aggression to mask sadness or release other difficult emotions; 
• social media overuse—as a distraction from painful feelings;
• substance abuse—as self-medication for anxiety, trauma, or depression;
• self-harm—as a way to release feelings of pain, tension, and anxiety; and
• disordered eating—as a form of self-control when teens feel out of control.

Healthy alternatives to handling stressful situations give students a better way to process what they’re experiencing. The more they practice healthy coping skills, the more they see how effective and positive these tools can be.

Here are some techniques you can introduce to your child.

Healthy Coping Skills

While there are many approaches for coping, the most effective generally help a person approach rather than avoid the source of their stress. Here are the top five strategies.

Problem-Focused Coping 

This involves taking direct action and works best when a child is dealing with a very specific, solvable problem (as opposed to unfocused anxiety or stress). 

In these cases, encourage your child to learn as much as they can about the situation and seek people who can support them in finding a solution. This could be a family member, school counselor, advisor, or faculty member. Another strategy is to break down their problem into manageable pieces or elements, and address each of them one step at a time. 

Emotion-Focused Coping

Your child’s reaction to their thoughts and feelings plays a significant role in whether they think a situation is stressful. Here are three emotion-focused coping strategies your child can use to manage their response.

• Breathing and relaxation practices: Slow, deep breathing has an immediate soothing effect and regulates the nervous system.
• Creative expression: Music, art, or dance can help your child process their emotions productively and positively.
• Movement: Engaging in any form of activity—walking, playing a sport, stretching—provides a physical release of emotions, and can help your child focus on something other than the immediate situation.

Social Support

Turning to others is one of the most helpful coping skills when handling a problem or stress. Encourage your child to connect with a close friend, a parent, or a trusted adult. 

Reframing the Issue

This approach involves taking a new perspective on a situation. In conversation, try looking at the circumstance from a different view to see positive or meaningful aspects. Another way to do this is through journaling—encourage your child to write down their feelings or write out the situation, as this can help bring perspective and make sense of what they’re experiencing.

When your child is studying in a foreign country, their health and safety are priorities. Let ISM’s International Scholar Protection give you peace of mind knowing your child has access to high-quality health care, no matter where they are in the U.S.

Contact insurance@isminc.com for more information.

Spotting the Difference Between COVID, the Flu, and a Common Cold

As parents of international students, the health and well-being of your children are among your top priorities. One main concern during winter months is the increase in illness. COVID-19, the flu, and the common cold are currently prevalent in the U.S. Knowing the symptoms of each can help you better identify when your child should simply rest and stay home from school, or should seek medical attention.

Symptoms of All Three Illnesses 

Before we dive into the differences between these conditions, let’s first look at some of the typical symptoms they share. These include: 

• Fever 

• Cough 

• Sore throat 

• Runny nose or congestion 

• Fatigue or tiredness  

However, even though these illnesses have the same symptoms doesn’t mean they should be treated similarly. Distinguish between them so that proper treatment is administered and infections don’t spread. 

The Difference Between COVID-19 and the Flu 

Although COVID-19 and the flu both cause fever and cough, there are other key differences in presenting symptoms. For example, COVID-19 is more likely to cause body aches than the flu. Someone with COVID-19 may experience diarrhea more often than someone with the flu does. While both illnesses can lead to serious complications if left untreated—especially for those who are immunocompromised—COVID-19 is far more dangerous.

The Differences Between the Flu and a Common Cold 

The common cold and the flu share many symptoms, but they are caused by different viruses. The flu is caused by influenza A and influenza B, while the common cold can be caused by over 200 different types of viruses. Colds are more common, result in a milder illness, and typically resolve without treatment. The flu is a more severe illness and can be treated with antiviral medications and over-the-counter medications for symptom relief. 

The symptoms of flu can include fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue (tiredness). Cold symptoms are usually milder than the symptoms of flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. 

Knowing the differences between COVID-19, the flu, and a common cold helps you determine what steps your child can take to mitigate the spread and what type of care they should seek. Be sure to also consult the school’s policies regarding illness as you communicate with your child.

How to Keep Your International Student Safe Online

Parenting has always been hard, but it’s only become more difficult in the internet age. Between social media, gaming, and an abundance of screens, most parents say raising a child is more difficult today than it was 20 years ago, according to a report from Pew Research Center. 

If your child attends school in another country, these challenges become even more difficult, especially because social norms around technology differ from country to country. 

Do you want to ensure your child is safe online while studying abroad? Follow these tips to help them develop a healthy relationship with technology. 

Make their digital life a recurring topic in your regular conversations.

All children engage in risky behavior and the internet often provides children with many opportunities to put themselves in dangerous situations. In the past few years, that’s only become more common. 

Helping young people develop healthy relationships with the internet begins with open and honest dialogue. Ask your child what they do online. Whom do they talk with? What apps do they use? What pictures are they sharing? If your child mention a particular app, account, or game you’re unfamiliar with, do some research. 

It’s important to remove judgment from these conversations. Try to prompt them to highlight risky behavior and dangerous situations by asking questions like, “What were you hoping to gain?” or “How might that look to someone who doesn’t know you?” If they’re regularly chatting with people they’ve never met in person, ask them questions about who those people are beyond their avatars. 

If you take their digital lives seriously and resist the temptation to only compare them against your own (much different) childhood, then they will be more responsive when you voice concerns.

Encourage healthy digital use of time and, when possible, limit their daily use.

Emphasize the positive aspects of the internet, like the videoconferencing service you’re using to chat with them or the online tools they use to complete homework assignments. Talk also about the downsides digital life can have on our health, such as its links to depression and sleep loss.

You might even consider creating what the American Academy of Pediatrics calls a Family Media Plan, which acts as a collaborative, practical guide for limiting screen time and internet use, even when you’re thousands of miles apart. 

Contact a school counselor or administrator if you’re concerned your child is at risk.

Sometimes open conversation and education aren’t enough. If you’re concerned your child might be at risk for more serious issues, like technology addiction or exposure to sexual predators, then you should notify their school counselors and administrators, who can begin an immediate intervention.

What Are the Winter Blues and How Can They Affect Your Child?

Americans are aware of “the winter blues”—when our moods are negatively affected by cold weather and shortened daylight hours. While this might sound like a form of melancholy or an excuse to stay in bed a little longer, the winter blues is just an informal term for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that’s related to the change of seasons.

While the change of seasons is unavoidable, treating the winter blues isn’t. Here are some tips for helping your child understand and ultimately overcome SAD.

Talk openly with your child about Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Knowledge is power. The winter blues can feel alienating if a child believes they’re the only person experiencing it. When children are given honest, objective information about SAD, they’ll recognize that gloomy and apathetic feelings are common during the winter months. As a result, they’ll know their problems are not insurmountable and will recognize there are other people with whom they can discuss their feelings.

Common symptoms of the winter blues are feeling sad and sluggish most of the day, having difficulty concentrating, sleeping too much, and overeating. If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, encourage them to follow the steps below to stave off the winter blues.

Help your child create a routine. 

Structure is the enemy of apathy. Children, especially teenagers, who establish consistent schedules and daily, achievable goals will find the winter months easier to navigate. Daily routines allow people to feel in control and help them gain perspective by helping them to objectively analyze everything they accomplish from one day to the next.

Encourage daily physical activity.

Exercise releases feel-good endorphins in the body that enhance a person’s well-being. The Mayo Clinic also notes that physical exercise often leads to increased self-confidence and social interactions, which are at odds with many of the more pervasive symptoms associated with the winter blues.

Make sure they schedule a regular day and time to check in.

Living away from home is difficult, even for children who might feel otherwise. Establish a regular check-in so your child can spend casual time with you and other family members, and remind themselves that they’re not isolated.

Seek professional help if symptoms persist.

Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, a mental health expert at the National Institutes of Health, notes that the winter blues is a informal term and not a medical diagnosis. He cautions that the symptoms of the winter blues can be warning signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder, an actual clinical diagnosis. If your child experiences the symptoms for an extended period despite following the recommendations listed above, reach out to their school counselor to seek professional help.