In the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, schoolthes have confronted unprecedented challenges as they moved to quickly shift classes to an online format.The pandemic itself has caused much worry, stress, and grief. These stressors can cause mental health challenges for anyone and can cause acute symptoms.Also, teachers may wonder how students are doing or the degree to which they are struggling, particularly with respect to emotional problems.

Indicators of Mental Health Issues in Postsecondary Education

Data from the 2018-2019 Healthy Minds Studya of more than 300,000 students at some 300 colleges and universities (Eisenberg et al., 2019), conducted before the COVID pandemic, illustrate the challenges that postsecondary students report experiencing prior to the pandemic:•Almost 40 percent of students—or some 8 million postsecondary students nationwide—reported experiencing a significant mental health problem.

•Major depressionb affected 18 percent of the students surveyed, while another 18 percent were found to have moderate depression, up from 8 percent with major depression and 14 percent with moderate depression in 2007.
•Severe anxiety affected 14 percent of the students surveyed compared to 6 percent in 2017. Another 17 percent of students reported symptoms of moderate anxiety.
•Eating disorders affected 10 percent of the students surveyed, a near doubling since 2013, and 34 percent expressed an elevated level of eating concerns.
•Suicidal ideation during the past year was reported by 14 percent of the students surveyed, with 6 percent planning suicide at some point, 2 percent making a suicide attempt, and 24 percent inflicting non-suicidal self-injury. In 2007, those figures were 6 percent, 1.5 percent, 0.6 percent, and 14 percent, respectively.
•One in 10 students indicated that they had experienced sexual assault in the past year, with 72 percent of these students screening positive for one or more significant mental health problem, compared to 47 percent of students without a history of sexual assault.
•Some 20 percent of students felt that emotional or mental difficulties had hurt their academic performance for six days or more over the previous four weeks.
•Based on students’ self-perceived successes in areas such as relationships, self-esteem, purpose, and optimism, only 40 percent of students were judged to have positive mental health or be flourishing, compared to 57 percent in 2012.(https://www.nap.edu>

Solution

And By building social emotional learning into the daily routines of your groupcaht, you’ll provide students with a reliable way to deal with whatever feelings they’re experiencing. Because having a close relationship with the teacher can also be a strong protective factor against the development of mental health issues. It’s important for students to feel they can go to their teacher if they’re having a hard time.

7 Things to Keep Your Balance or
Re- balance Yourself

1. Value yourself:
Treat yourself with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. Make time for your hobbies and favorite projects, or broaden your horizons. Do a daily crossword puzzle, plant a garden, take dance lessons, learn to play an instrument or become fluent in another language.

2. Take care of your body:
Taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health. Be sure to:

•Eat nutritious meals
•Avoid smoking and vaping-- see Cessation Help
•Drink plenty of water
•Exercise, which helps decrease depression and anxiety and improve moods
•Get enough sleep. Researchers believe that lack of sleep contributes to a high rate of depression in college students.

3. Surround yourself with good people:
People with strong family or social connections are generally healthier than those who lack a support network. Make plans with supportive family members and friends, or seek out activities where you can meet new people, such as a club, class or support group.

4. Give yourself:
Volunteer your time and energy to help someone else. You'll feel good about doing something tangible to help someone in need — and it's a great way to meet new people. See Fun and Cheap Things to do in Ann Arbor for ideas.

5. Learn how to deal with stress:
Like it or not, stress is a part of life. Practice good coping skills: Try One-Minute Stress Strategies, do Tai Chi, exercise, take a nature walk, play with your pet or try journal writing as a stress reducer. Also, remember to smile and see the humor in life. Research shows that laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, relax your body and reduce stress.

6. Quiet your mind:
Try meditating, Mindfulness and/or prayer. Relaxation exercises and prayer can improve your state of mind and outlook on life. In fact, research shows that meditation may help you feel calm and enhance the effects of therapy. To get connected, see spiritual resources on Personal Well-being for Students

7. Set realistic goals:
Decide what you want to achieve academically, professionally and personally, and write down the steps you need to realize your goals. Aim high, but be realistic and don't over-schedule. You'll enjoy a tremendous sense of accomplishment and self-worth as you progress toward your goal. Wellness Coaching, free to U-M students, can help you develop goals and stay on track.
(https://uhs.umich.edu

Action
-In order to take a closer look at teachers’ concerns regarding problem behavior, a second professional (i.e., school psychologist) typically administers rating scales such as the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Third Edition (BASC-3) or the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS).Teacher should
promote social and emotional competency and build resilience.Teach and reinforce positive behavior or decision-making.And help the students to ensure a safe and postive learning environment.

5 ways teachers can support student

1. Listen to children’s concerns
Covid-19 and school closures impacted many children and adolescents' mental health and well-being. As teachers, it is essential to listen to students' concerns and demonstrate understanding as well as empathy. Offer your students the opportunity to have a one-to-one conversation with you to reconnect and discuss any concerns that might have arisen when their school was closed. If a child shares anything that is particularly concerning, please follow the protection or child safeguarding systems in place.

2. Check how children are doing
Before teaching new academic content to students, teachers and school personnel should take time to check how children are doing. Remember that children may have difficulty concentrating at first or may need more time to get back into the routine of learning. Provide opportunities for children to take breaks, move around, and re-connect with their friends and peers.

3. Provide children with accurate information around COVID-19
As children return to school, they may have different thoughts and questions about COVID-19. Children want and need factual information. Use child-friendly and age-appropriate resources available in your country/region that is based on scientific evidence to respond to children's questions about COVID-19 accurately.

While it is important to acknowledge the scale of what is happening globally, make sure to emphasize all the efforts made and precautions taken to reduce.

4. Seek suggestions from children on how to create a welcoming, safe and comfortable classroom
Engage children in making the classroom a welcoming, safe and comfortable space. When doing so, make sure to respect school safety procedures and use available material resources.

Children can provide suggestions; help decorate the walls of the classroom with colourful and welcoming messages and work in small groups so they can support each other to catch up on learning. Let them know that being supportive of each other will help them get through this together. Remember to praise children for their contributions and efforts. Teachers can foster feelings of safety and security by interacting and developing positive relationships with each student and using routines during the day to help children feel safe and secure.
Getting children's learning and mental health back on track.

5. Watch out for any warning signs of child behaviour that interferes with their ability to explore, play and learn
Be attentive to changes in children's behaviours. If you notice significant changes in a student’s behaviour and this persists over time, preventing them from functioning or playing, please follow school protocol, and/ or seek additional support and guidance. Teachers can provide lots of support if they feel a child is struggling. However, you should seek additional support and refer children to child protection services, primary care physicians, or mental health professionals if you feel the child needs specialist help.

Continue providing learning support, as well as guidance, and provide extra support or go at a slower pace if a child is finding it difficult to learn or concentrate.(https://www.unicef.org