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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – With the school year approaching in New York, many parents and students are feeling anxious.

There are a number of stressors revolving school, from making friends, to passing classes, and safety concerns, especially following a recent deadly shooting in Minnesota.

Caitlin Bradley, director of youth and family services at Rochester Regional Health, shared some tips about managing this stress.

“We just remind parents to focus on what’s going on in their sphere, what they can control, and reassuring their kids that we have things in place, we have support,” Bradley said.

Bradley explained that while it’s natural for students to feel nervous at the start of the school year, stress can sometimes become a more significant issue.

“So it’s a good cue for parents if we’re a couple weeks in and they’re still really struggling with transitioning to school, going to school, being in school or having a lot of worries, maybe they’re having difficulty sleeping, those are probably signs we need to get more support,” Bradley said.

Bradley explained why its important for parents to manage their own anxiety, and not just their kids’ anxiety.

“If a parent is feeling anxious, the likely chance of your child feeling anxious and picking up on that is huge, and so its important for parents to kind of manage and model for their kids so they can respond well too,” said Bradley.

Bradley suggested methods such as breathing techniques and limiting exposure to social media to help manage stress.

A former parent and teacher at East Ridge Senior High School Andrea Schleber emphasized the importance of listening to students with anxiety.

“I think allowing students to really just speak their mind and listening, I think that’s the key because when they feel that they’re listened to, they can kind of calm the anxiety,” said Schleber.

Rochester Regional Health offers 24/7 support for children and parents, with offices located within school buildings across several districts to ensure students have access to care. Visit Rochester Regional’s website here to see which schools have a center.

Several districts in the region are set to start classes on Tuesday. Tune into News10NBC starting at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday for all of our back-to-school coverage.

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