How To Help Your Teenager With Anxiety

Teens have it pretty rough these days. Between peer pressure, hormones, academic stress, and social media, it’s no wonder that modern teenagers are experiencing unbelievable amounts of stress, anxiety, and depression. What’s more is that girls are particularly prone to feeling emotionally overwhelmed and vulnerable to such mood disorders. If you know or suspect that your teen may be anxious (and possibly even dealing with an anxiety disorder), here are some actionable ways that you as a parent can help:

• Separate Their Worth From Their Performance
• Ask Them About Their Feelings
• Model Healthy Coping Skills
• Seek Out Counseling

Separate Their Worth From Their Performance- Kids need to know that your love for them isn’t based on their grades, athletic abilities, looks, or anything else. You can alleviate some of their anxiety by helping them understand that your love is unconditional; you won’t love them any more or any less depending on how well they perform. 

Ask Them About Their Feelings- Young people often do not have the language to articulate their emotions (even adults struggle with this!). Simple asking, “how are you feeling about (fill in the blank)” can help. Create an environment where they are free to express their true feelings and vent about frustrations or other difficult experiences. “Name it to tame it” is a great strategy to help manage anxiety; this means that simply naming an emotion makes it more manageable!  [pullquote]

Feeling anxious is a normal thing that everyone experiences at times, but if it gets to the point that anxiety makes it hard to function, it’s time to seek professional counseling.

[/pullquote] Model Healthy Coping Skills-  More is caught than taught, so consider how you yourself deal with anxiety. Things as simple as going for a walk, writing in a journal, drinking some water, or talking things out can help. Find ways to teach emotional management. For example, you may say something like, “today was pretty stressful at work, so I’m going to take good care of myself by eating delicious, healthy food and getting plenty of sleep.”

Seek Out Counseling- If things get too much to bear, if your teen is often withdrawing socially or withdrawing from things he/ she usually enjoys, if there is a major drop in grades, and certainly if there is talk or evidence of self-harm, it’s time to get help. Feeling anxious is a normal thing that everyone experiences at times, but if it gets to the point that anxiety makes it hard to function, a professional counselor can help your teen sort of feelings and learn management skills. 

Empowering Families By Strengthening Girls & Women

At Warrenton Women’s Counseling Center, we work with girls of all ages (teenagers, adult women, mothers, and daughters). Our work is done face-to-face, online or via phone. We would love to hear from you and help to empower you and/or your daughter.
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Michelle Kelley, LCSW is a licensed counselor and  owner of Warrenton Women’s Counseling Center. We work with girls and women of all ages. Our motto is to empower families by strengthening girls and women. For more information, call (540) 316-6362 or email Michelle@WarrentonWomensCounselingCenter.com