Stress, anxiety a normal part of starting new school year, Grand Strand health experts say

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County students from elementary school to college have begun adjusting their routines as the new school year starts to ramp up.

Starting school can be a big change no matter if you are in kindergarten or if it is your freshman year of college. It’s an exciting time of year that can also be very stressful and take a toll on students’ mental health.

If your child is expressing or showing signs of anxiety, Chris Furn, a medical professional at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, said you should talk to them, ask them questions about how they are feeling and try to comfort them.

“[Explain] that there are good types of anxiety, and bad types of anxiety,” Furn said. “Starting school is a good anxiety. It’s very nerve-wracking but it’s a good thing. [Encourage] the children to understand why they’re feeling how they’re feeling.”

Some children need a routine, according to Fern and Scott Pomicter, an outpatient manager at Grand Strand Behavioral Health. Children thrive on having a routine, and parents should make sure they are sticking to it throughout the school year, they said.

Some of the signs of anxiety or stress can be physical pain, restlessness, or avoidance.

“Healthy outlets such as extracurricular activities, sports, exercise, arts, crafts, things along those lines,” Pomicter said. “Try to reduce the tablet time … try to reduce the technology and encourage the kids to go outside and get some exercise and engage in those extracurricular activities.”

Students are also about to return to Coastal Carolina University For some, it’s their first time being away from home and they could experience homesickness.

Lee Carter, assistant vice president for student wellness and health equity at Coastal Carolina, said students need to remember they are not alone in their feelings.

“That’s one thing we try to let students know early and often is that this is normal,” Carter said. “If you’re feeling stressed, you’re not in it alone.”

Some students can experience this right when they get to college or a few weeks into the school year, Carter said.

“All of our first-year and second-year students live in the residence halls, so it’s kind of a built-in community. Again, everyone is in the same boat, so you know there are people around. We do have professional staff and student staff members who do programs and different things to hopefully encourage people to get out of their rooms and talk to each other.”

Stress or anxiety can cause brain fog and also affect your gut health, sleep and overall day-to-day life. Carter said more and more people are normalizing these feelings.

“We’ve gained I think a little bit of people understanding that part of self-care is mental health care, and really reducing the stigma around counseling, medication, and all of those things that we sometimes need.”

Both CCU and Grand Strand Medical Center have many resources for those who want to talk to a professional.

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Hannah Huffstickler is a multimedia journalist at News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2024 after graduating from Coastal Carolina University in December of 2023. Keep up with Hannah on Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can also read more of her work here .

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