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How To Deal With Teenage Anxiety

The Desire For Certainty

How We Cope With Anxiety & Stress | MTV’s Teen Code

And itâs this desire for certainty that allows anxiety to grab your teen and hold on tight. Add to that a conflicting desire to be a part of a complicated and uncertain social world, and itâs no wonder that the withdrawal, hopelessness, and sadness of depression can take hold.

This means that helping children and teens understand and normalize the challenges of relationships, problem solving, disappointment, and uncertainty is critical for prevention and recovery. These are skills that can and should be taught.

Your anxious teen is looking for a guarantee that everything will turn out perfectly. Since you cannot control that, the family goal is acceptance with uncertainty.

Common Causes Of Anxiety In Teens And Young Adults

While anxiety is a normal response to some events and situations in life, its not healthy to feel anxious all the time. As an adult, you might wonder what teens have to be anxious about. After all, theyre not in the position to worry about putting food on the table, paying the mortgage, or raising children of their own. Here is a list of seven things common in a teens life that can be causing that teenage anxiety.

In A Calmer Moment Talk With Your Child About Their Anxiety

Ask them what it feels like in their mind and body, and what things make them feel that way. It can be tempting to dismiss their worries because you want to reassure them, but its important to empathise with their experience and validate their feelings. You can find more tips on our guide to starting a conversation.

  • reflect on how youre feeling
  • talk to other people you trust
  • remind yourself youre not alone odds are someone in your friendship circle has anxiety or depression too

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What Is Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is a mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety. Thats the real definition of course.

Without the fancy wording though, its essentially a feeling of anxiety when youre in social situations. Whether thats a party or school presentation.

You may have feelings of fear, discomfort, self-conscious thoughts, and embarrassment. This is completely normal to experience as a teenager.

It may arise from previous family or school trauma, mostly from being judged or bullied by others.

But how do you know if you actually have it?

Think Things Through With The Child

Five Tips to Help Teens Cope with Stress

Sometimes it helps to talk through what would happen if a childs fear came truehow would she handle it? A child whos anxious about separating from her parents might worry about what would happen if they didnt come to pick her up. So we talk about that. If your mom doesnt come at the end of soccer practice, what would you do? Well I would tell the coach my moms not here. And what do you think the coach would do? Well he would call my mom. Or he would wait with me. A child whos afraid that a stranger might be sent to pick her up can have a code word from her parents that anyone they sent would know. For some kids, having a plan can reduce the uncertainty in a healthy, effective way.

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Be On The Lookout For The Physical Signs Of Anxiety

The worried feelings that come with anxiety can seem hidden to everyone but the child trapped in the turbulence. That’s why it’s especially important for grown-ups to pay close attention to a child’s behavior and to look for the telltale signs of anxiety in children.

Anna, of Brampton, England, remembers when her 7-year-old son started having trouble at school.

“He was just coming home and saying his stomach hurt. He was very sick,” Anna says. When she followed up with him to try to get to the root of his stomachache, she says, “he did tell me he was worried about school, and he told me specifically it was a teacher that he was worried about.”

A stomachache, headache or vomiting can all signal anxious feelings, especially as a child gets closer to the source of the anxiety.

“You’ll see that they’ll have a rapid heartbeat. They’ll get clammy, you know, because their heart is racing,” says Rosemarie Truglio, the head of curriculum and content at Sesame Workshop. “They’ll become tearful. That’s another sign. … Anxiety is about what’s going to be happening in the future. So there’s a lot of spinning in their head, which they’re not able to articulate.”

Rachel, of Belgrade, Mont., says her 6-year-old son really doesn’t want to swim or go to their local splash park.

We heard this from so many parents: My child is terrified to do something that I know won’t hurt them, that they might actually enjoy. What do I do?

Encourage Them To Exercise Regularly

Exercise has been proven to reduce both anxiety and depression. In fact, for people with mild conditions, exercise each day is just as effective as taking medication. In addition, exercise can help your teen get better sleep, which also can help alleviate anxiety.

If your teen played sports during the school year and isnt practicing this summer, they might get into the habit of lazing around. Discourage this, as it will only make anxiety worse for many people. Encourage your teen to look for ways to stay active: Go for a walk or run each day, go swimming with a friend, join a group of other young people for a game of pick-up basketball at the park, or sign up for a dance or exercise class.

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Work On Overcoming Your Fears

Easier said than done, I know.

Heres a great place to start taking baby steps :

  • Remind yourself that everyone else has anxiety too
  • People love talking about themselves
  • People want to meet you too
  • Stand up straight and speak clearly
  • Focus on 1 person at a time

When you have all of these little reminders in your head, start small by speaking to a friend of a friend.

You can also practice by making phone calls .

Another great way to start is by taking a friend with you everywhere you go in social situations. When a joke fails or you have nothing to say, youll always have them to fall back on!

Anxiety In Teens Has Nothing To Do With Strength Or Courage

How To Deal With Teenage Anxiety And Depression | Teens 101 | Real Families with Foxy Games

Your child is not a coward because he or she has an anxiety disorder. Some of the most influential people in history suffered from anxiety. Who would question the strength or courage of President Abraham Lincoln, writer John Steinbeck, actor Marlon Brando, poet Emily Dickinson, or Dr. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis? All of these remarkable people suffered from anxiety. They found a way to succeed despite the disorder.

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If You Are Worried About Your Teenager Seek Help

Ginty Butler: One of the things that often gets lost is the fact that anxiety and depression are both treatable illnesses. With appropriate treatment, people can and do get better.

Parents who are concerned that anxiety or depression is causing their teen to withdraw from friends or activities they used to enjoy should seek professional care for their child. The best place to start is with a trusted health care provider, such as a family pediatrician. You can also reach out to Boston Childrens or another pediatric health provider for resources.

Anxiety Is A Fear Of The Future And All Its Unpredictability

“The main thing to know about anxiety is that it involves some level of perception about danger,” says Pine, and it thrives on unpredictability. The mind of an anxious child is often on the lookout for some future threat, locked in a state of exhausting vigilance.

We all have some of this hard-wired worry, because we need it. Pine says it’s one of the reasons we humans have managed to survive as long as we have. “Young children are naturally afraid of strangers. That’s an adaptive thing. They’re afraid of separation.”

Full-blown anxiety happens when these common fears get amplified as if someone turned up the volume and they last longer than they’re supposed to. Pine says separation anxiety is quite common at age 3, 4 or 5, but it can be a sign of anxiety if it strikes at age 8 or 9. According to research, 11 is the median age for the onset of all anxiety disorders.

A bundle of factors contributes to a child’s likelihood of developing anxiety. Roughly a third to half of the risk is genetic. But environmental factors also play a big part. Exposure to stress, including discord at home, poverty and neighborhood violence, can all lead to anxiety. Research has shown that women are much more likely than men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder over their lifetime and that anxiety, as common as it is, appears to be vastly underdiagnosed and undertreated.

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What Do Anxiety And Depression Look Like In Teenagers

Nanci Ginty Butler: A common sign of depression in teens is irritability and an inability to tolerate stress or adversity. Depression can also make it hard for teens to get along with their family and friends. They often isolate themselves and lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.

Kimberly OBrien: In younger adolescents, anxiety often arises as social anxiety and fear of group situations or not performing well in or out of school. As teens approach graduation and early adulthood, the source of their anxiety can shift to fear about the future or their identities.

Signs of anxiety and depression in teensAnyone can go through a slump. Parents should take notice when their teens behavior changes abruptly or they exhibit any of the following signs for two weeks or longer: Depression inability to tolerate stress or adversity trouble getting along with people lost interest in activities panic attacks: episodes of sudden, intense fear excessive worry about social acceptance crippling concern about the future

Where Can I Find More Information And Support

Dealing With Teenage Depression And Anxiety

If you’re concerned about the physical or mental health of your child or young person it may be a good idea to speak to a GP.

You can also read more about children and young people’s mental health services .

There are also several organisations that provide emotional support and practical advice. You could try:

  • Family Lives is a charity specialising in supporting families. You can call their confidential helpline on 0808 800 2222 . You can also visit their forums
  • Relate offers relationship advice and counselling. You can also use Live Chat to talk to a counsellor
  • Young Minds, the mental health charity, has a confidential parents’ helpline. Call them on 0808 802 5544

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How To Deal With Social Anxiety As A Teenager

Having trouble in social events or giving presentations? Here are 8 tips that show you how to deal with social anxiety as a teenager!

A lot of the topics about social anxiety on the internet speak directly to parents, telling them how to help their teenager.

This is going to be directed towards teenagers themselves. After all, you are your own person and are the one actually dealing with it!

Before we get straight into the topics, lets go over a few basics

Respect Her Feelings But Dont Empower Them

Its important to understand that validation doesnt always mean agreement. So if a child is terrified about going to the doctor because shes due for a shot, you dont want to belittle her fears, but you also dont want to amplify them.You want to listen and be empathetic, help her understand what shes anxious about, and encourage her to feel that she can face her fears. The message you want to send is, I know youre scared, and thats okay, and Im here, and Im going to help you get through this.

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Parenting A Teen With Anxiety

Having a teen with anxiety often makes parents anxious, too. Watching your child navigate life while dealing with anxiety brings up ongoing questions and concerns about their behaviors and choices. Did they pick at their dinner because theyre feeling anxious, or were they just not hungry? Do they seem especially quiet because theyre struggling? Or is it just because of that big test they have tomorrow? Its difficult to know what to say and what not to say, when to take action and when to stay quiet and let your teen work through the challenges theyre facing.

Concerned About Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Dealing With Anxiety For Teenagers & Young Adults

Take our 2-minute anxiety quiz to see if you or someone you care about may benefit from further diagnosis and treatment.

Given that teens experience a wide variety of physical and emotional changes as they grow, an anxiety disorder can be difficult to spot. Many red flags may seem like usual teens struggles or be chalked up to hormones. Watch for these hidden signs of anxiety in your teens:

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Helping Teens With Anxiety

Donna watched as her teenage daughter, Emma, paced the gate area at the airport. The flight from Iowa to California was an hour away, and, up until now, Emma had seemed excited about the family vacation. However, now her anxiety was bubbling to the surface. Emma sat down, her breathing short and shallow. She stood up, paced some more. Donna watched her a moment. Emma had never been afraid of flying before, but lately, her teenager had been growing more and more anxious about all manner of things in her young life. Donna needed to find some ways to help her teen with her anxiety.

Donna wrapped her arm around Emmas shoulder and said, You are okay. Lets take a walk down to the bookstore and see if we can find something irresistible to read. The thought of something to do took Emmas mind off of the upcoming flight, and her face brightened at the idea of a new book to add to her collection. Donna hugged her daughter as they wandered down the terminal together. This approach might work for today, but she would have to find ways to help Emma with her anxiety permanently. She made a mental note to start learning how as soon as she got on the flight.

Consider Your Teens Diet And Sleep Patterns

Many teenagers are sleep-deprived and rely on salty, fatty, or sugar-filled foods to get them past their fatigue. This can lead to greater anxiety symptoms. You have probably had the experience of feeling overwhelmed and stressed when you didnt get a good nights sleep if just one night of poor sleep can add to your stress level, imagine how much extra stress a sleep-deprived teenager might be dealing with.

Encourage your adolescent to go to bed at a reasonable time so they can wake up well-rested. In the summer, its best not to let your teen sleep all day to make up for staying up all night. Instead, take some measures to make staying up until the wee hours less desirable: For example, you might shut off the Internet at midnight or insist that all computers and tablets get shut off at 11:00 pm. Also, schedule a few morning activities to keep your teen in the habit of waking up before noon.

Teens also tend to eat a lot of junk food, particularly during the summer months when meals might be less structured. Fill the fridge with fresh fruits and veggies, buy all-fruit ice pops or sorbets for frozen treats, and encourage them to snack on things like hard boiled eggs or veggies dipped in hummus. By avoiding the junk food aisle in the grocery store, you can minimize the amount of junk your teen is consuming, keeping both blood sugar and mood fluctuations to a minimum.

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