The teenage years have a lot of change going on. School, friends, social media, family, and the future all come together to make life quite hard for people to deal with. Although it is normal for people to feel anxious, not everyone can cope with it.
As a parent, you could realize that your teenage child is more reserved than normal, withdrawn from social activities, overly worried about trivial issues, or has headaches before going to school. You would like to assist them, but you do not know how.
Before helping an anxious teen, the key is that one needs to know how to help an anxious teen’s emotions and create an environment where the teen feels comfortable enough to talk about them.
Here are ten useful tips for parents who want to assist their anxious teenager.
Understanding Anxiety in Teens
Anxiety is what someone experiences when they are threatened by anything. An emotional experience can occur in situations like exams, sports, social gatherings, or even conversations.
However, there should be alarm bells if the fear persists, is difficult to control, and interferes with someone’s daily activities.
Some of the most common signs of anxiety in teens are:
- Constant worrying about school, relationships, and future.
- Having trouble falling or staying asleep.
- Becoming irritable, restless, and having trouble concentrating.
- Having constant headaches and stomachaches.
- Having a tendency to avoid school, social events, and favorite activities.
- Always needing reassurance.
Not all these signs indicate an anxiety disorder among teenagers. In case the symptoms persist, they can always seek the help of a health care practitioner to diagnose their condition.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents can help their children and adolescents who are experiencing anxiety through proper communication and healthy habits.
How to Help an Anxious Teen: Anxiety Management for Teenagers (10 Practical Tips)
Parents do not have to attempt fixing all the issues that come up during the teenage years of their children. Small changes in communication can help significantly in such cases.
1. Listen Without Judging Their Feelings
The best solution to help a teenager would be listening to him before giving out any advice.
If your teenager talks about his troubles, don’t say things like, “You are worrying too much,” or “You have no grounds for worry.” Your teenager may be relieved at first to hear such things, but he would be confused later on.
Instead, consider asking the following questions:
- “What has been bothering you?”
- “Can you tell me more about it?”
- “How can I help you with that?”
For example, in case your teenager fears public speaking in class, make sure to listen to the reason behind that fear. It may well be due to their fear of making mistakes, getting embarrassed in front of classmates, and losing the respect of the teacher.
Listening will help you gain more clarity about the whole scenario.
2. Help Them Identify Anxiety Triggers
Anxiety triggers in teenagers can be different for each adolescent. There are some who get anxious because of their academic performance, while others due to social interactions, peer pressure, etc.
Find out which situation makes your teenager uncomfortable. Is it because of nervousness about going to school, disagreements with family members, or using the internet?
It may help to ask your teenager about what happened before the onset of their anxiety attack.
A simple journal may be useful for finding patterns in their thoughts, feelings, and physical responses.
Do not assume you know what is causing them problems. Allow your teenager the time to explain what is happening.
3. Teach Them How to Calm Themselves
Learning how to calm an anxious teenager themselves in times when they are highly stressed will help parents learn patience.
In case you become overly anxious, it might become very difficult for your teen to think rationally. Tell them to pause and apply their coping techniques.
Here are some suggestions:
- Slow breathing: Breath in softly and let the breath out slowly.
- Grounding: Take note of five things they can see, four they can feel, and three they can hear.
- Taking a breather: Go somewhere quiet when circumstances permit.
- Self-talk: Turn “I cannot cope with this” into “I can take it one step at a time.”
For instance, before giving a school presentation, your teenager can practice deep breathing and convince themselves that being nervous doesn’t imply failing in their work.
These approaches can be useful in dealing with distress; however, they cannot replace medical assistance if anxiety is interfering with day-to-day activities.
4. Encourage Healthy Daily Habits
These healthy practices can assist individuals in maintaining their emotional equilibrium and dealing with any stress factors.
Make sure that your adolescent gets enough sleep, good diet, physical activity, and free time. On average, adolescents in America require from eight to ten hours of sleep per day.
Another way to encourage teenagers would be to do some walking, cycling, dancing, music, and even outdoor activities.
Make an effort to involve all of these habits in the life of your whole family instead of making more rules for your adolescent.
For instance, a leisurely walk in the evening could provide an opportunity for relaxing talks without the stress of a formal discussion.
Good practices will assist in dealing with anxiety, though these alone may not be sufficient where the level of anxiety is severe and/or recurring.
Read more: Daily Habits to Reduce Teen Stress: 10 Simple Tips
5. Avoid Adding More Pressure
Most parents assume that their children will do well, make sensible decisions, and prepare for the future. However, too much pressure can result in stress only.
In addition to focusing on results, praise your teen’s achievements and progress.
You could say something like, “I see that you’ve put a lot of effort into this assignment. Let’s try to see how we can get you better prepared.”
Don’t measure your teen against his siblings, fellow students, or the kids of your relatives. All teenagers have their unique way of gaining confidence and skills.
A nurturing atmosphere at home enables adolescents to realize that making mistakes is a learning process and does not amount to failure.
6. Help Them Face Challenges One Step at a Time
When teens are experiencing anxiety, running away from the source of anxiety may appear to be the easiest option. A teenage student afraid of presentations may decide to stop offering himself for participation in class.
Avoidance, which can provide some momentary relief, can actually exacerbate some fears when practiced continually.
What needs to be done is to assist your teenager in breaking the daunting process into smaller parts, for instance, delivering the speech in your home environment, to a family member, and eventually in class.
Avoid putting your teenager in situations that will make him/her extremely anxious. In case anxiety is the cause of the avoidance behavior, counseling from a professional counselor can develop an effective strategy.
7. Discuss School-Related Stress
School is one of the biggest sources of stress for American teenagers. There is stress about grades, exams, college applications, peer pressure, and extracurricular activities.
Asks your teenager where they struggle in their studies. Your teen may require assistance with organization, talking to teachers or dealing with bullying.
If school anxiety in your teen is impacting attendance or grades, seek out assistance from the school counselor and pediatrician of your teenager.
The American Academy of Pediatrics‘ guidance on supporting students with anxiety at school offers additional information for families and educators.
8. Help Them Without Fixing Everything
When your teen is stressed out, you might feel like fixing the problem should be the first thing that you do. Yet, this could impede their confidence building process.
Lend support to enable your teenager to be involved in the process of finding solutions.
For instance, if your teenager is anxious about an exam coming up, work together in making a study timetable for them.
You can tell him, “Why don’t we examine the situation and see where you wish to start?”
This way, you convey that you are there for support, yet you have faith in your teenager’s capabilities.
9. Know When Professional Support Is Needed
Not always is that sufficient. In case anxiety is preventing the teenager from sleeping, studying, or engaging with peers or performing daily tasks, consulting the teen’s doctor or a qualified counselor might be helpful.
Teen anxiety treatment options could include psychotherapy, for example cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and where required, medication under supervision of a healthcare provider.
The right response depends on the condition of the teenager and what his/her personal needs are.
Looking for help doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent; it means you care about your teenager.
For further information, visit the National Institute of Mental Health’s child and adolescent mental health resources.
10. Maintain Open and Constant Communication
Anxiety does not have to go away just because of one conversation. Your child might take some time to feel comfortable talking about their anxiety.
Create chances for your child to speak to you whether things are fine or not. You could try having conversations while driving or cooking with your child.
Be mindful of their need for space, but also let them know that you are always available for help.
“You do not have to tell me anything now.” I will be here whenever you want to talk about something.”
Such behavior will make it easy for them to seek your help whenever they need it.
How Parents Can Support Teens With Anxiety at Home
Teen anxiety coping strategies are not about trying to take away all the bad times from their life. Instead, it is about giving them the tools they need to handle everything.
Begin by taking a few realistic steps:
- Organize regular judgment-free talks.
- Cultivate healthy sleep and routine habits.
- Teach your teen how to recognize and deal with his/her anxiety triggers.
- Create realistic goals together.
- Keep communicating with your teen’s teachers/counselors regarding school issues.
- Go see a professional if anxiety hinders him/her from completing daily tasks.
Please be reminded that progress can come slowly. You should take joy in small accomplishments like sitting through a difficult class, discussing an issue, or applying a coping technique.
The Bottomline
Patience and empathy are needed when learning how to help an anxious teen problems. Your teenager will not always share with you how he or she feels, and you will not always know what to say.
That is fine.
Don’t judge what you hear, help them learn how to deal with anxiety, and ensure there is a comfortable environment to seek help.
With proper guidance, teenagers can learn how to deal with their anxiety, enhance self-confidence, and overcome any challenges in their lives.
The idea isn’t to create a fear-free teenager. The goal is to make sure they understand that they need not be afraid of tough feelings.
Also read: How Parents Can Support Struggling Students: Questions Every Parent Needs to Ask
