Feelings of stress, which can show up in physical ways such as lack of sleep, poor eating habits, reduced physical activity, and strained relationships (with reported increased irritability).

• Stresses for children returning to school could be focused on the pressures of academic and athletic achievement, changing friendships/relationships, challenges with navigating social media, finding a balance for all commitments; all while still growing, developing and discovering their own identities.
• Stresses for adults with children will likely be heavily influenced by their feelings about their children for the new school year, in addition to their own personal and career/job commitments.
• Adults returning to post-secondary school face unique challenges with likely increasingly difficult and different studies, pressures of financial concerns, sometimes navigating both school and work, as well as various friendships/relationships, in addition to determining and making choices about future career/job paths.

Feelings of anxiety, with increased worries, anticipation and nervousness, as well as fear of the “unknown”, and fears of failure.

• Anxiety for children returning to school can be rooted in fear of the “unknown” and in our ever-changing environment with changes to virtual and in-person teaching, children are navigating new styles of learning. Children might also be worrying about their own academic and athletic achievement, social life, teachers, and family members.
• Anxiety for adults with children can be centered on worry about their children, financial concerns with increasing costs of living, balancing commitments to children, work, and social and intimate relationships.
• For individuals returning to post-secondary studies, they are faced with anxiety related to increasing tuition costs, ensuring social and intimate relationships are maintained while remaining committed to studies, and likely concerned for the future in terms of potential careers/jobs and relationships.