This September comes with some slices of normalcy. The air's a little crisper, leaves are reddening, and, whether in-person or at a distance, school is back in session. However, while a new school year usually brings new stresses, it's particularly important this year to pay attention to the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of the students in each of our lives.

Dr. Nita Kumar is the director of mental health services for Anoka Hennepin schools, working for many years pre-pandemic to ease the impact of mental health issues on student learning and well-being. In this conversation with The Current's Jill Riley, Kumar and Riley discuss student anxieties and concerns, how to model and encourage self-care, and balancing routine with a recognition of our fears this less than usual back-to-school season.

Listen to the interview above, and read a transcript of the complete conversation below. Every Wednesday at 8:30 CDT, Morning Show host Jill Riley connects with experts and local personalities for some real talk about keeping our minds and bodies healthy — from staying safe in the music scene, to exercising during a pandemic, to voting and civic engagement. Looking for more resources and support? Visit our friends at Call to Mind, MPR's initiative to foster new conversations about mental health.

So, it is fall. It is that time of transition where students are returning to either the classroom, a hybrid model, or distance learning. This back-to-school season, it looks very different for a lot of families, you know, wherever you kind of find yourself, if you have children, or if you're a student listening right now, wherever you sort of find yourself in one of those categories. But I do want to address it this morning, especially me as a parent of a pre-K student, and knowing that a lot of families listen to The Current's Morning Show. And on the line, I have the director of mental health services for Anoka Hennepin Schools, Dr. Nita Kumar. How are you?

Good morning, Jill. I'm doing well, how are you?

The word "patience" has been coming up a lot in the past couple weeks, and I'm really kind of using it as my mantra right now. But, I just, if we could have, I mean just take a couple of minutes this morning to really talk about this year's back-to-school season, and how families are coping right now. I mean, what are some of the concerns that you're hearing as director of mental health services for Anoka Hennepin Schools?

I'm hearing that there are a lot of concerns even beyond kind of what is the obvious thing of returning to school in this new learning model. So we're hearing about concerns and fears from the students and from parents and guardians related to just fears about their wellness. Some anxiety, some depression. Getting back into the routine of things, and how today's routine is gonna, you know, look very different than anything in the past has ever looked as we return back to school. And just wanting to be mindful of parents and adults, including our staff and teachers, need to practice self-care, so that we can really effectively model those pieces for students. You know, adult self-care as well as making sure that we are tending to the needs of student wellness.

So, across the state, learning models look very different right now. Some students and staff are in-person learning, some hybrid, some — like in my situation, my personal situation, we've started the school year as distance learning. And so, what you're kind of saying is it's more about getting used to a new routine, but also really acknowledging the fears around being in a global pandemic and making sure that everyone is staying safe.

Absolutely, and to add to some of the challenges that are going on, you know, just thinking about kind of political environment, some social unrest. Students are also dealing with the, you know, what to do and how to manage through some of the systemic racism issues. So, there's a lot going on for everyone. We're all going through things we've never experienced before. And my thought is, as adults are modeling for students, none of us have experienced any of these things, especially not all together. However, we have experienced adversity in the past, and so if we can model for students how to cope with adversity, I think that will go a long way in being able to show students how to go through this experience.

What are some of the ways that as parents we can model to maybe put our children and students' minds at ease?

First, you know, acknowledging how challenging this time is, and saying, you know, "there's gonna be some bumps in the road, there's gonna be some difficulties, we're gonna go through it together as a family. And together as a school system, you have these supports as well." So making sure that they know that they're not in it alone, and inviting conversation. Some other strategies are, you know, using humor. I think that goes a very long way during this difficult time. I have a 16-year-old son, and we took back-to-school pictures yesterday, and, you know, we thought we were being kind of comical, so we took his back-to-school pictures in his robe. And we just said, you know, let's make it fun. You are at home, and you had a choice about whether you'd dress up for your first day, and he did in fact dress up. But he had a robe on and we took his pictures, and that's what we shared with family just to be kind of comical and acknowledging the new environment.

Another thing is really going back to the basics in life of sleep, nutrition, hydrating, and being physically active. Those are the keys to so much of our mental well-being, is getting enough rest, letting our body recuperate, eating healthy meals, maybe cooking those meals with students, letting them have some of that involvement. Staying well-hydrated, it's such an important thing related to our, kind of, energy, physically and mentally. And then, you know, for physical activity, making sure that, yes, if students are sitting in front of that computer all-day long in the hybrid learning model, that they are taking breaks, that they're getting up, they're being out in nature.

And another tip related to kind of overall circumstances is to unplug a little bit, for me. There is just so much going on that, you know, if you pay attention nonstop to what's going on in the media, it can be really overwhelming. So while it's good to be in touch with what's going on in the world, at the same time, do we need to have a constant read on the pulse of what's going on in the world? Probably not the best for your mental wellbeing.

You know, school, such a big part of it is the social part, socialization and, you know, I will again speak for myself when I say I am the parent of a pre-K student. But then I think of junior high and high school, and the word "isolation" can make me a little bit nervous. Are there signs that parents can watch for in their children if the isolation is becoming a problem with mental or even physical health?

In terms of going back to the basics, those are also indicators, whether your child is maybe coping well with this situation or not. So, paying attention to are they oversleeping? Are they having a difficult time going to sleep? Are they overeating, undereating? Are they spending a lot of time not moving around much and just not interested in the things that they're usually interested in? And then, finding unique, creative ways to be social. Allowing some physical distance but yet still having that opportunity to socialize.

Yeah, and Dr. Kumar, if families feel like they are overstressed or they may be in crisis, where can they turn to? What are some resources that are available for them to reach out for some help or assistance?

One of the places I would turn to as a parent who is maybe concerned about students and maybe learning is turning to the school support staff. Social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, and school-based mental health therapists. But, if you outreach to the school and just say, you know, "I'm concerned about these things, what kind of resources do you have as a school system that might help, as well as any resources that are out, available in the community?," support staff tend to have those things at their fingertips so that they can share with families. Another resource that is tremendous support for our community is NAMI Minnesota, so the National Alliance on Mental Illness. They have a lot of resources on their website. They have some webinars that you can join, some support groups. Another key one I would suggest is the Crisis Text Line. Knowing that our students really seem to respond to using that form of communication. They can call the Crisis Text Line and text to that line and get support as well. And we're prepared and ready to help, just ask.

Alright, well, Dr. Nita Kumar, I appreciate you taking the time to talk with The Current's Morning Show for Wellness Wednesday. And, you know, you talked a little bit at the beginning: don't be afraid to take a little time to laugh, take a break, stop, take a breath, and reset. And, for me, I really just, I try to stay present in the moment. You know, we're gonna get through the next couple hours, and then we're gonna get through the day, and then we're gonna do it all over tomorrow. So, I really appreciate you checking in, and, you know, we'll see how this school year goes, and what the developments will be.

Absolutely. Thank you for your time, Jill. I appreciate it.