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How to Help Your Teen with Anxiety

Sam Jones

Your teen can struggle with low self-esteem or have negative thoughts about themselves if they are suffering from anxiety. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be worried all the time? Try to put yourself in your child’s shoes for a moment and think about how it would feel to constantly think of people who dislike you; how you are going to fail the next test or exam; and that you can’t do anything right. Does this give you an idea of what’s going on in their mind?

Teens having anxious thoughts is common, but what’s more disturbing is that only 18% of teens receive counseling services to address their mental health problems. Teens will hardly speak of their anxiety issues to friends or relatives leaving you very little warning that anything is going on. Because of this, they are likely to turn to self-medicating by taking drugs or alcohol. Teens are unequipped to handle anxiety in a healthy way, so they usually turn to self-medicating because they feel it is the only way out.

If you want to help your teen with anxiety as a parent, there are 4 major areas you can address this problem from;

1. Improving Their Sleep

Teens suffering from anxiety may not be sleeping enough or have challenges with sleeping, and lack of sleep is one of the factors that leads to anxiety. Many teenagers (adults included) are taking energy drinks to be able to keep up with their day to day activities. According to a recent report by the National Sleep Foundation, teens need about 10 hours of sleep a night. And from their reports, the number of children with anxiety were not getting quality sleep. So as a parent, how can you help a teen get better sleep at night? The best way to go about it is by creating a routine that gets them to relax, unwind and go to bed at a time that will allow them sleep for 8-10 hours before waking up for school.

2. Diet & Nutrition

What do your kids eat? If you know your teens eat a lot of junk foods such as potato chips, soda, or processed foods, then it’s important you take a swift U-turn and start giving them snacks made from fruits and vegetables. Unhealthy eating habits such as skipping meals or eating empty calories can affect a developing teen negatively as well as how their body and mind manage anxiety and stress.

3. Physical Activity

Teens need at least one hour of physical activity each day where they break a sweat. Unfortunately, many kids may not have time for it because of their school work and other activities. Your teen does not have to engage in sports after school to get exercise. Regardless of the type of activity you want to engage them in, whether it’s riding a bike, skateboarding or dog walking, what really matters is to get them involved in activities that will promote the production of endorphins. Endorphins are natural stress relievers produced by the body that are also capable of improving our moods. When they exert all their energy, it will make it much easier for them to go to sleep at night.

4. Express Themselves

One of the reasons teens hardly talk about their anxiety problem is because they feel nobody will understand them, or no one can help them out. Also, teens may not want to share their problems with their parents if there is a conflict that is responsible for their anxiety or stress. To identify the root cause of anxiety in your teen, finding a therapist to explore the problem will be useful. The first way in helping a teen overcome anxiety is to understand their anxiety. With the help of a therapist, teens can learn specific coping skills that can help them cool off when they are feeling anxious and stressed. A therapist can also help them explore new methods of observing their emotions.