How to Help Your Teen Navigate Anxiety

Anxiety can be a large or small part of the daily lives of teenagers across America. Unfortunately, no one is immune from suffering from anxiety, and it can leave parents wondering how they can help their child.

Throughout this article, we will help you understand what anxiety is, what some signs and symptoms can be, and ultimately, ideas for how to help your teen navigate anxiety. 

The American Psychological Society defines anxiety as an emotion caused by feelings of tension, thoughts, and physical changes, such as increased blood pressure. It’s important to note that anxiety and fear are not the same, but they’re sometimes used interchangeably. Teenagers struggling with anxiety may exhibit various emotional, mental, or physical symptoms.

Before you can help your teen, it’s important to learn and recognize the warning signs.

Warning Signs

Physical Symptoms and Changes

You may begin to notice various physical changes and symptoms when a teenager is struggling with anxiety. Some teenagers might experience rapid weight loss or weight gain. It’s important to look out for drastic changes in their physical appearance due to not eating, not eating enough, or stress eating.

Common physical symptoms can include nausea, stomachaches, or headaches. Other symptoms can include muscle pain and weakness. More noticeable signs can include shaking or sweating more than usual. 

Psychological Changes

It’s common for teenagers to show many different emotional changes, such as struggles with concentrating and increased irritability. Many teenagers also fear something bad will happen to themselves or a close family member or friend. All of this can make it difficult or nearly impossible to relax.

One thing to note is that while it’s normal for teenagers to go through changes in their teenage years, major shifts in behavior should be noted and monitored. The key to this is to know your teenager and what you see as normal or out of character for them.

Academic Changes

Teenagers with anxiety can start to show noticeable negative changes in their schoolwork that are apparent in their testing results or report cards. This can lead them to think about school negatively and believe they can’t succeed. Common phrases to watch for are “I’m not good at this” or “I can’t do this.”

Now that we’ve reviewed some signs and symptoms to look out for, it’s time to go over how parents can help their teens suffering from anxiety. 

Helping Your Teen Navigate Anxiety

Identify triggers and feelings.

When managing anxiety, it’s important to understand what triggers your teen’s anxiety. It’s important to note that triggers vary from person to person. While they sometimes may seem obvious, it can be helpful to not only the teenager but the parent to know what those situations are.

It’s also important for parents to help their teenagers identify how they’re feeling. One way to do that is to verbalize and label the mental and emotional symptoms they’re feeling and experiencing. By doing this, you will help teenagers process their emotions, and they’ll know what to look out for when future moments of anxiety occur.

Learn how to cope.

Parents and teenagers should also learn coping skills that can help the teen manage their anxiety. These coping skills can include deep breathing, walking, talking to someone they trust, and prioritizing healthy sleeping and eating habits. Also, it’s important to have different coping skills that can work in varying situations.

Start journaling.

Many teenagers find writing down their emotions and thoughts in a journal helpful. This is a safe space to express emotions for those who have difficulty expressing them verbally. It’s important to let your teenager decide if and when they want to share. A journal can be the catalyst for sharing their emotions with you in a safe space.

Remember, there is no one way to cope with anxiety. The most important thing as a parent is to be curious, engaged, and actively helpful.

If your teenager is struggling with anxiety, working through their feelings with a teen counselor can help. Please reach out today to learn more about how we can help.