How to Navigate Anxiety with Your Teen

It's part of life to experience occasional anxiety: a test, a public speech, going on a first date.

But if your anxiety becomes persistent, seemingly uncontrollable, and overwhelming, or if it shows up as an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a major problem. When your anxiety interferes with your daily life, it’s time to seek help.

At Interventional Psychiatry Group, Dr. Jim Pang, Jr., and our expert staff understand how intrusive anxiety can be for anyone, but especially for teens who are going through radical changes in their lives. Helping them navigate through their anxiety can be a challenge, but we provide some tips to help you make the journey more easily.

What is an anxiety disorder?

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, 8% of children and teenagers develop an anxiety disorder, with most developing symptoms before they reach 21.

"Anxiety disorder" refers to a number of specific psychiatric conditions that involve extreme fear, panic, or worry. These include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Panic disorder and panic attacks
• Separation anxiety
• Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
• Selective mutism
• Specific, individual phobias

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are closely related to anxiety disorders, and display many of the symptoms that anxiety produces.

Anxiety disorders arise from a complex set of risk factors, including heredity, brain chemistry, personality, and life events, and may cause the following symptoms:

• Constant, unsubstantiated worry; causes significant distress and interferes with daily life
• Avoid social situations for fear of being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated
• Seemingly out-of-the-blue panic attacks and preoccupation with fear of having another one
• Irrational fear or avoidance of an object, person, place, or situation that poses little or no threat
• Recurring nightmares, flashbacks, or emotional numbing related to traumatic event months or years before

People with phobias generally realize their fear is irrational, but even thinking about it can often cause extreme anxiety.

How to navigate anxiety with your teen

It’s important to realize that children and teens may have more than one type of anxiety at the same time. The three most common types are separation anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety.

The onset of an anxiety disorder is usually triggered by stressful events, including moving or other abrupt changes, trouble with schoolwork, having additional responsibilities beyond their maturity level, stress from family situations, or traumatic experiences, including being bullied or otherwise abused.

Parents who are anxious, overprotective, or “helicopter” parents may also contribute to a teen’s anxiety. Research conducted in 2021 highlighted how parental support was a crucial factor for adolescent mental health.

Support your teen in developing coping strategies, using acceptance, distraction, and a positive mindset. That helps strengthen their well-being and ease their stress and anxiety.

Talk to your teen about anxiety. Let them know it can be a positive thing, warning us about potential threats, but temper that by also showing them how too much anxiety can lead to feeling trapped and helpless. Help them recognize the things about the worrisome object or event they can change, giving them some control over their problem.

Keep an open dialogue. Maintaining effective communication can be difficult, as many teens won’t always confide in their parents as they become more independent, but it’s imperative to establish regular communication with your teen.

Ask about their day, and if they express anxiety about a particular situation, it’s a great opportunity to initiate a more in-depth conversation. And be sure to validate their feelings by saying things like “I know this is a difficult situation” or “that sounds very hurtful.”

Use active listening skills. Teens look to parents for supportive connections and ways to vent their feelings. If you truly listen and validate their feelings without judgement or criticism, you can help ease their anxiety. Encourage them to share, and make eye contact to show you’re really listening. Never interrupt; they need to feel they have your whole attention.

Prepare how to handle difficult situations. Acknowledge that they’re anxious, but put their emotions into the proper perspective to avoid having these feelings blown out of proportion and creating further anxiety.

Discuss the rational and irrational responses to whatever challenges your teen is facing. If they’ve already responded to a situation, and that’s what’s provoking their anxiety, offer some alternative methods that may be more effective next time.

Build your teen’s self-esteem. Start by highlighting your teen’s strengths instead of their weaknesses, and don’t focus on their anxiety but emphasize their positive attributes. It can be as easy as complimenting them for their thoughtfulness, kindness, or consideration of others. Show that you care that they did well.

If your teen is struggling with an anxiety disorder, our team at Interventional Psychiatry Group can help. Call our office in the Cordova community of Memphis, Tennessee, at 901-752-4900 to set up an evaluation, or book online with us today.