The Best Guide: How to Help a Teen with Anxiety

As adults, many of us forget how much stress can be involved with being a teen. Performance anxiety, starting secondary school, dealing with social media, peer pressure, bullying, low self-esteem—all of these things can have you feeling anxious in your teenage years. Caring for young people's mental health is an important way to make sure that they're healthy and happy, and getting the most they can out of their adolescence.

Understanding Anxiety Disorders in Teens

Anxiety disorder is a common mental health condition that affects many teenagers, causing feelings of worry, fear, and anxiety. These disorders can impact a teen’s daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. Understanding anxiety disorder is crucial for providing effective support and help.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety in Teens, Including Physical Symptoms

Common anxiety symptoms in teens include:

• Excessive worrying, fear, and anxiety
• Physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, and stomachaches.
• Sleep problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability.

How Anxiety Differs from Stress

Anxiety is a distinct mental health condition that differs from stress and other conditions. While stress is a normal response to challenging situations, anxiety is a more intense and persistent emotional state.

Understanding the difference between anxiety and stress is essential for providing effective support.

Identifying Triggers and Causes

Common triggers of teenagers anxiety include academic pressure, social media, bullying, and relationships.

Anxiety can also be caused by underlying mental disorders such as depression or trauma. Identifying triggers and causes is crucial for developing effective coping strategies and protecting young people's mental health.

The Role of Social Media in Teenage Anxiety

There is an additional challenge when it comes to mental health issues in younger people. Social media can contribute to anxiety in teens by promoting unrealistic expectations and comparisons.

Studies have shown that excessive social media use can also lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Teens may find that they have anxious feelings about perceived slights. For example, someone posts pictures from a party weren't invited to. Or scrolling past pictures of friends that are hanging out without them. Encouraging healthy social media use can be essential for reducing anxiety symptoms in teens.

Other Potential Causes of Anxiety Disorders in Teens

Anxiety disorders can be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. A teen is at higher risk for anxiety disorders if close members of their family also experience them. In addition, trauma, abuse, and neglect can also contribute to anxiety disorders in teens. Understanding the underlying causes of anxiety is essential for providing effective support. A professional can help identify the background of a teenagers anxiety and create a treatment plan to address it.

Responding to Anxiety in Teens

Start a conversation with your teen by asking open-ended questions about their feelings and concerns. Encourage your teen to express themselves without judgement, and listen attentively and express empathy to help your teen feel heard and understood.

Building Your Teen’s Coping Skills and Self-Esteem

Encourage your teen to develop healthy coping skills. This can include establishing healthy lifestyle habits such as regular exercise, a mindfulness practice, and reducing screen time. Share the importance of establishing healthy sleep habits, and help them stick to a schedule.

You can also help your teen build their self-esteem by promoting positive self-talk and self-acceptance, and by encouraging them to pursue their passions and interests.

Strategies for calming and reassuring your teen during anxiety attacks

Offer physical comfort and reassurance during anxiety attacks. Encourage your teen to practice mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, which can help bring their mind into the present moment and calm your child's anxiety. In addition, you can help your teen develop a crisis plan for managing anxiety attacks. Having a plan in place can help to reduce stress when you're feeling anxious.

Encouraging Healthy Habits

Anxiety affects sleep patterns, and poor sleep can make you feel anxious...it can be a vicious cycle. Encourage your teen to establish a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.

You can also help by promoting physical activity and healthy eating habits to improve overall health and wellness. Encourage your teen to engage in mindfulness techniques like yoga and mediation.

Encouraging healthy social media use and screen time

Setting limits on social media use and screen time can reduce anxiety. Encourage your teen to engage in offline activities and hobbies, and monitor your teen’s social media use and provide guidance on healthy online behavior.

Practicing relaxation techniques together

Practice mindfulness techniques with your teen, such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation and encourage your teen to practice these techniques regularly. You can also help your teen develop a relaxation routine, including taking breaks and listening to calming music to reduce anxious thoughts.

Seeking Professional Help

Seek professional help if your teen’s anxiety is impacting their daily life and relationships. A mental health provider can help if you’re concerned about your teen’s anxiety. Don’t hesitate to seek help if your teen is experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings of self-harm.

What to expect from therapy and treatment

Therapy can help your teen develop coping skills and strategies for managing anxiety. Depending on the severity of the issue, treatment may include medication, talk therapy, or a combination of both. Work with a provider to develop a treatment plan that meets your teen’s needs.

Overcoming Challenges

Adolescent mental health can be greatly impacted by pressures at school. Help your teen develop healthy coping skills for managing test anxiety and academic pressure.

• Encourage your teen to prioritize self-care and mindfulness techniques.
• Work with your teen to develop a study plan and schedule, scheduling sufficient breaks

Dealing with Bullying and Social Anxiety

If your child's anxiety is in part due to bullying from their peers, encourage them to report incidents of bullying to a trusted adult at the school, and get more information from them before deciding next steps. If social anxiety is what makes them feel anxious, help them to develop coping skills to manage it, and foster a positive and supportive relationship with your teen.

Creating a Long-Term Plan

Here are some tips and strategies for helping your young person if they feel anxious during their teenage years:

• Work with a mental health professional to develop a treatment plan that meets your teen’s needs.
• Set realistic goals and expectations for managing anxiety.
• Encourage them to prioritize self-care and relaxation techniques.
• Regularly monitor your teen’s progress and adjust strategies as needed.
• Work with a mental health professional to adjust the treatment plan.
• Encourage your teen to prioritize self-care and relaxation techniques.

• Encourage your teen to build a support network of friends, family, and mental health professionals.
• Foster a positive and supportive relationship with your teen.
• Prioritize ongoing care and mental health support, and help build a supportive environment to help your teen manage anxiety

Finding a Mental Health Provider for Young People Who Feel Anxious in Brooklyn

When your child is feeling anxious in their teenage years, it may be caused by many factors, including personality, academic performance, fears about public speaking, peer relations, and more. Learning to cope with anxiety can be challenging on your own, but therapy can help reduce symptoms of anxiety through the formation of healthy practices and coping mechanisms.

At Williamsburg Therapy Group, our team of doctoral-level psychotherapists offers a number of evidence-based therapeutic approaches to talk therapy that offer the tools necessary for learning self-compassion, managing stress, and learning healthy coping skills and habits that can improve quality of life.

Mental health issues are not something to avoid talking about, and can be treated with the right plan. A Brooklyn therapist can help your child live their best life during their teenage years, and offer the positive reinforcement needed to help them manage stress levels and feel good about themselves.