Teens have it rough. As they’re growing up and taking on more “adult” responsibilities, they’re also experiencing a whirlwind of hormones and bodily changes. Navigating school, part-time jobs, college applications, extracurricular activities, and friends can be hard for some teens.
These new pressures might give your teenager anxiety. Signs of anxiety in teens include withdrawal from friends, poor performance in school, substance abuse, constantly seeking reassurance, and frequent worrying. Here’s how to support them through this tough time in their adolescence.
Learn about anxiety
To begin supporting your teenager, it’s important to understand what anxiety is and how it affects adolescents. Anxiety is more than just worry; it can present as physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, and sleep disturbances (insomnia, night terrors, etc.).
Learn to recognize these signs and differentiate between normal stress and anxiety disorders that may need professional intervention.
Supporting anxious teens: Be the person to talk to
Make sure you’re the type of parent your child can come to when they’re worried. Create a safe and non-judgmental space where your teen feels comfortable sharing what they’re going through. Encourage them to express their emotions, especially when you notice them struggling.
Sometimes, they simply need to be heard and validated. Saying things like, “I understand school is really tough for you right now” can go a long way in making them feel supported.
Create a supportive home environment
Your home should be a reliable place of support and peace for your entire family. Establish routines that provide a sense of stability. Avoid the chaos of conflicts with your spouse or discussing money issues in front of your child.
As they work through their anxiety, avoid putting adult pressures on them inside the home. Allow them the privacy of their bedroom so that they have a place to decompress.
Limit screen time
Studies show that excessive screen time (particularly social media) has a negative effect on mental health and can lead to anxiety. Talk to your teen about why it’s important to take regular breaks from screens and engage in offline activities.
Set boundaries for screen use, particularly before bedtime, to ensure it doesn’t interfere with their sleep.
Encourage healthy behaviors
A healthy lifestyle can have a big impact on mental health and reduce anxiety. Encourage your teen to engage in regular physical activity to cope with negative emotions. Make sure they’re getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. They should also limit caffeine and sugar intake, which can increase anxiety symptoms.
You can also teach stress management techniques that they can incorporate into a daily or weekly practice, like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga. Talk about the importance of taking breaks to decompress rather than forcing them to push through an anxious episode. Encourage them to pursue hobbies and activities they enjoy, which will help ease their anxiety symptoms.
Model good coping mechanisms
Your kid looks to you as a role model. The way you respond to stress will influence their responses to stress. Practice emotional regulation and avoid blowing up when something upsets you.
Take your teen with you on walks in the park, bike rides, or other low-impact physical activities to let off steam. Sharing your own experiences with anxiety or mental health struggles can validate their experiences and give them good advice.
Work on your own anxiety
When you have anxiety as a parent, it can trickle down to your teen, who may develop anxiety by observing you struggle. For example, if you are overly anxious and prevent your teen from engaging in normal activities, they may start to perceive the world as unsafe, thereby increasing their own anxiety. It is crucial to address your own anxiety and model healthy coping mechanisms to prevent this from happening.
Pay attention to food choices
Teens have a tendency to be less thoughtful about what they are eating and sometimes end up with a diet high in sugar, fast food, and caffeine. All of these can contribute to unstable moods, blood sugar imbalances, a lack of nutrients, and increased anxiety. Eating whole and unprocessed foods may help by providing the nutrients and fatty acids teens need for better brain health.
Teen therapy
For some teens, anxiety won’t go away without extra help. Teen therapy can be a valuable resource for anxious teens, providing them with the support they need to manage their symptoms. In therapy, anxious teens will learn emotional resilience, healthy coping mechanisms for life’s stressors, and how to challenge negative thought patterns. This supportive environment can make a significant difference in their ability to navigate anxiety.
To find out more about how therapy can help with teen anxiety, contact us today.
