How to Deal with Anxiety as a Teen: Tips for Coping
Anxiety is a common problem for teenagers. For some, it can be mild and manageable, while for others it can be quite severe and debilitating. No matter how big or small your anxiety is, there are steps you can take to cope with it. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips for managing anxiety as a teen.
Anxiety is Common for Teenagers
Let's face it, being a teenager inevitably comes with some level of anxiety. There's stress coming at you from every angle. You've got academic pressure, social drama, and the looming specter of adulthood (and all the responsibilities that come with it) to worry about. First relationships. Figuring out your own identity separate from your parents. People constantly asking about your post-high school plans as if you should have things all figured out already. It's no wonder that teenagers have a higher rate of anxiety.
Tips for Teens Managing Anxiety
The good news is that there are things you can do to manage your anxiety. Here are some tips:
Talk to someone who understands
This could be a therapist, counselor, teacher, or trusted adult friend or family member. Honestly, just talking about what's going on can help you feel better. And, once you've thought through the situation, you can start to develop a plan for dealing with your anxiety.
Exercise
Getting regular exercise can help reduce stress and improve your mood. Even just a brisk walk around the block can help. So, if you're feeling anxious , try going for a jog, taking a mindfulness walk at a local park, joining a pick up basketball game or practicing some yoga.
Accept that you're going to feel anxious sometimes
Being present with your feelings, accepting your feelings and making space for your anxiety to simply exist is a core component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which many of our therapists use as an effective form of anxiety treatment in our Chicago based counseling practice.
This may seem counterintuitive, but it's important to remember that feeling anxious is normal and even healthy in some situations. It's only when anxiety starts to interfere with your life that it becomes a problem. So, it can be helpful to change how you view your relationship with your own anxiety. First, notice that you're feeling anxious. Ask yourself if there's a reason for the anxiety or if it's just a case of "nerves.
Talk back to your anxious thoughts
This is called "cognitive reframing." Basically, you start with observing the many thoughts that are present and contributing to your anxiety. Then, you challenge anxious thoughts by asking yourself if they are really true. You consider the evidence that supports or contradicts that anxious thoughts. Consider if you're leaving out important information about the situation. Then, consider if there's a more helpful way to view the stressful situation.
For example, if your friend doesn’t respond to a text as quickly as usual and you have the thought “She must be upset about something. What did I even do?” Then, you notice this leads to rethinking your last several conversations and you feel more anxious the longer she goes without texting. If you’re practicing this “talking back to your thoughts,” you might observe that you’ve had this anxiety. Then, you may gently point out to yourself that your friend has had a lot going on right now and think of other reasons she may not be responding very quickly. Then, you may “respond” to your thoughts by thinking, “She’s taking longer to respond than usual and I’m not sure why. There could be a lot of different reasons.”
Get enough sleep
Teens aren't exactly known for getting a ton of sleep. And we get it, there's a lot going on. It often feels like the papers and projects for every class happen to be due at the same time. Or, you're just about to go to bed when a friend texts you and needs to talk about a crisis in their own life. Then, there are the nights you just can't fall asleep because your mind is racing with anxious thoughts. But, not getting enough sleep can make anxiety worse.
Sleep is important for both your physical and mental health. When you're well-rested, you're better able to cope with stress. Essentially, getting enough sleep makes you less vulnerable to stress and anxiety in the moment. And, it gives you the ability to think more clearly when stressful situations do come up. So, while this one doesn't counteract anxious thoughts in the moment, it's very important for the overall management of anxiety.
Consider Adopting a Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. There are many different mindfulness exercises you can try, such as meditation, yoga, or simply taking a few minutes each day to focus on your breath and be aware of your surroundings. Anxiety therapists often incorporate mindfulness into teen anxiety treatment teaching basic mindfulness skills in counseling sessions and encouraging clients to regularly practice mindfulness as part of their anxiety management plan..
Deep breathing
Deep breathing is generally done in a mindful way and is a great way to use mindfulness in the moment to manage anxiety.
Deep breathing is simple but effective. When you're feeling anxious, take a few deep breaths and focus on your breath going in and out. There are a variety of breathing techniques you can try such as basic belly breathing, square/box breathing or alternate nostril breathing.
One thing that teenagers often appreciate about deep breathing is you can use deep breathing techniques anywhere and no one knows you're doing it. So, if you're feeling anxious in class or during a test, you can discreetly take some deep breaths to help calm your nerves.
Yoga
Yoga is another mindfulness practice that can be very helpful for managing anxiety. Many teenagers find yoga to be enjoyable. Yoga can help reduce anxiety by teaching you how to focus on the present moment and be more aware of your body and breath. In fact, research has shown yoga to have a wide range of benefits for both mental and physical health.
Other relaxation techniques that help with anxiety
There are many different relaxation techniques that can be helpful in managing anxiety in the moment. Some examples include progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and mindfulness meditation.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique where you tense and relax different muscle groups in your body to help you feel more relaxed.
Guided imagery is a technique where you use your imagination to picture yourself in a relaxing place or situation.
Mindfulness meditation Mindfulness meditation is a type of meditation where you focus on being aware of your thoughts, feelings and surroundings in the present moment. Mindfulness meditation can be helpful for managing anxiety because it allows you to focus on the present moment and observe your thoughts without judgment.
These are just a few examples of relaxation techniques that can be helpful in managing anxiety.
Help for Anxiety
You don't have to suffer from anxiety alone. Everyone needs help sometimes. And the teen years in particular are chuck full of stress and anxiety. So, if your anxiety is starting to hold you back or cause problems for you, now might be time to ask for some help. There are people who care about you and want to help. Anxiety is manageable, but often very difficult to manage alone. While it’s easy to feel alone with your anxiety, consider if there is a caring family member, friend, school counselor, pastor or teacher who will offer a listening ear if you reach out. Then, if you're feeling overwhelmed, reach out for help.
These tips can also be helpful in managing anxiety, but if your anxiety is severe or interfering with your ability to function, it's important to seek professional help and consider going to counseling. When anxiety prevents you from doing the best on your test, negative impacts relationships or holds you back from doing things you enjoy it may be time for counseling. An anxiety therapist can work with you to develop a more comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs.
Anxiety Treatment for Teens in Chicago, IL
If you're looking for an anxiety therapist in Chicago who works well with teens, contact us today. Our therapists would be happy to answer any questions you have about therapy for anxiety and help you get started on the path to recovery.
Our teen therapists believe in providing evidence based therapy. This means that we truly want you to get the most out of counseling sessions. Therefore, our approach to anxiety counseling for teens (and everything else we do) is based on treatment methods that we know from research really do help people improve their mental health.
If you have an anxious teen ready to begin therapy, please take the steps below to get started.
Fill out a consult form here.
Meet with a teen therapist to see if online therapy is a good fit.
Get support watch your teen’s relationship with anxiety change!
Other Mental Health Services in Illinois
We know teens are complex and may be struggling with more than anxiety. Or perhaps there is another member of your family who could also use some extra support right now. The therapists at our Chicago-based counseling practice offer a wide range of mental health services to support your entire family. In addition to anxiety treatment and teen therapy, we also offer counseling for depression, parent counseling, trauma therapy, therapy for work burnout & more.
Because we offer online therapy, we are able to help anyone in the state of Illinois. And, our therapists specialize in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals as well as those who identify as a highly sensitive person.
So, whatever your mental health needs may be, if you live in Illinois we'd love to provide you the support you're looking for.