Gentle Support for Change, Confidence & New Beginnings
We can all probably remember the feeling of the long summer holidays coming to an end and the prospect of returning to school! After the freedom and relaxation of the summer holidays, going back to school – or starting a new school altogether – can require a quick change from one rhythm of life into another. The freedom and familiarity of the holidays give way to routines, expectations, learning, time with friends and classmates, and sometimes feelings of uncertainty about what to expect.
Even when a child is looking forward to returning to school, there can be nervousness about a new teacher, a new class, friendships, increased expectations or simply getting back into a routine. For others, the change can feel much bigger: starting school for the first time, moving to secondary school, beginning college or struggling with separation from home.
How Bach Flower Remedies Can Support Children Going Back to School
For some children and young adults, these are not easy times, and can bring a mixture of different thoughts, feelings and emotions. Feeling nervous or afraid, uncertain, reluctant, or not very confident about something new is part of being human.
The Bach Flower Remedies offer gentle support for our thoughts and emotions, helping to encourage greater inner balance and wellbeing. They can be particularly helpful while a child finds their feet, adjusts to change and settles into the new rhythm of school life. You can also find out more generally about Flower Essences for Children here.
Choosing Bach Flower Remedies for Your Child
To paraphrase Dr. Edward Bach, look at the individual and not the situation. The same event can bring up very different emotions in different children and so rather than choosing an essence for ‘going back to school’, the key is to notice what the experience is bringing up for your child.
School brings together so many different aspects of a child’s life, including learning and academic work, friendships and social situations, growing independence, relationships with teachers and authority, and the experience of being themselves outside the familiar environment of home.
We all react differently to the situations we face in life. Faced with going back to school a child might put a brave face on things and say everything is fine, even when they don’t feel fine at all – Agrimony would be the Bach essence to help with this.
Other children might feel shy or worried about meeting the new people in their class or their new teacher – Mimulus would help with this – or they might feel very sensitive and affected by the thoughts and feelings of those around them – Walnut is a good choice here.
They might not feel confident in their ability to be able to do the academic work required of them in the new school year – Larch would be the Bach flower to help – while others might feel like nothing they do is good enough, which the Pine Bach remedy would help with.
For some children their body may be sitting in the classroom, but the mind is still on holiday – Clematis – while others get very excited and unable to settle down because they’re feeling so enthusiastic – Vervain is the essence to help.
The Bach Flower Remedies are gentle acting and supportive and you can use a single essence or mix together a combination of essences.
Bach Flower Remedies for Common Back-to-School Feelings
Sometimes the best way to choose an essence is simply to listen. Give your child space to tell you how they feel in their own words, without trying to reassure them or make the feeling go away. What they say, and sometimes what they find it difficult to say, can give you a valuable sense of the support they need. Their answer – excited, frightened, overwhelmed, unsure, not confident, missing home, worried about friends etc – is what begins to point you towards the essence they might need.
Here are a few useful suggestions to get you started:
- Walnut – this is a really useful Bach Flower Remedy for periods of change and transition. It is particularly useful for starting a new school, moving into a new class or adjusting to a new routine.
- Mimulus – when there are known fears and worries: “I’m scared of my new teacher,” “What if I don’t make friends?” or “I’m worried about the work.”
- Aspen – a good choice when there is apprehension or uneasiness but you can’t really explain what you’re frightened of.
- Larch – really useful when confidence is the issue: “I won’t be able to do it,” “Everyone else is better than me,” or reluctance to try because you expect to fail.
- Honeysuckle – when you’re finding it difficult to leave the holidays behind and re-engage with school life.
- Clematis – for the child whose mind is still somewhere else and who finds it difficult to settle back into concentration and everyday routines.
- Elm – when returning to school feels overwhelming, particularly where there is worry about workload, responsibilities or expectations.
- Hornbeam– when getting back into the school routine feels like an effort, particularly where there is mental tiredness, reluctance to get started or a feeling of “I just can’t face it".
- Revival Remedy– for emotionally challenging or stressful moments when your child needs some immediate support to regain their sense of calm and balance.
- Agrimony – for children who hide their worries or difficult feelings behind a cheerful face and say that everything is fine, even when something is troubling them underneath.
- Walnut and Mimulus can also be a very natural combination where there is both difficulty adjusting to the change and a specific worry about what lies ahead.
If you’re looking for an alcohol-free base option, our Bach Flower Remedies are also available with a vegetable glycerine base rather than a brandy base. This is a useful option for children or anyone who prefers an alcohol-free remedy. You can find our Vegetable Glycerine Bach Flower Remedies here.
Flower Essences for Parents at Back-to-School Time
And don’t forget about you, because sometimes it’s the parents who need some essences too! When your child starts or returns to school it can be a transition for the whole family, parents included! Children can often be very aware or sensitive to how their parents are feeling, even if they don’t show it or it’s not obvious in their reactions to you, so how you’re feeling can sometimes influence how they feel about going back to school too.
What you might experience as a parent waving their child off on their first day may be quite different from what your child is experiencing. There can be worry about how they’ll cope, difficulty letting go, nostalgia for an earlier stage of childhood or simply the emotional realisation that a new chapter has begun.
Here Are Some Suggestions to Start With:
- Red Chestnut – this is a really helpful choice if you’re feeling worried about your child, whether they’re getting on okay or whether something might be wrong.
- Walnut– for supporting your adjustment to the change of a new school year.
- Honeysuckle – if you’re holding onto the past rather than the present – "Where did my little five-year-old go?"
- Inner Calm for fear and worry and Letting Go for supporting the process of letting go and adjusting to change could both also be helpful combinations.
Supporting Your Child Through Change
Life is a journey, and our thoughts, feelings and emotions are an important part of how we experience it. Learning to recognise, understand and embrace our feelings can help us meet life’s changes with greater awareness and confidence.
Going back to school is one of those times of change. Whether your child is feeling excited, nervous, uncertain, overwhelmed or simply finding their feet, Bach Flower Remedies and flower essences can offer gentle emotional support as they adjust, grow in confidence and step into this new chapter of their life.
Sam is co-owner here at Crystal Herbs and has been working professionally with Bach Flower Remedies and flower essences since 1996. Sam is passionate about all aspects of flower essences and the potential they have to help us with our inner journeys of personal and spiritual growth. He is a trained flower essence practitioner, energy healer, writer and teacher and loves sharing knowledge and information about flower essences and any other tools that help us to re-connect with our hearts and the true essence of who we are.
