Teens and Anxiety. A Guide for Parents.

Even though this may be true for adults, the teens in your life could also be experiencing anxiety.

Anxiety may show up differently in teens, but they are no less anxious according to a recent survey.

In fact, roughly 1 in 5 adolescents reported having anxiety in a Teen National Health Interview Survey.

Read More: “Common Questions About Anxiety Answered”

Which factors have 20% of adolescents self-identifying as anxious?

The results of the survey showed that teens experience anxiety for a variety of reasons but some key takeaways include:

• Increased drug misuse among teens and their peers
• Increased screen time that is not school/work related
• Increased bullying, emotional abuse by a parent, and neighborhood violence
• Decreased engagement in mental health resources

Remarkably, the survey found that individuals who identify as female often experience more anxiety than individuals who identify as male.

The increased stress and the decreased engagement in mental health resources due to shame or lack of guidance can lead to major mental health issues among teens.

The problem isn’t that teens feel anxiety or stress. These are healthy emotions that are part of daily life.

It is part of growing up to feel anxiety, and teens may feel like they have more to worry about with social media as a benchmark for popularity, beauty expectations, and cool ways to consume products.

So, what is the problem when it comes to teens and anxiety?

When Teen Anxiety is a Problem

Teen anxiety may become a problem when the anxiety is not going away on its own, the teen has endured the anxiety for a long period of time, or the anxiety is so intense that it prevents the teen from completing everyday activities, according to John Hopkins Medicine.

These are a few ways that anxiety has become a mental issue with your teen, but what are some mental and physical signs of anxiety in your teen?

Physical Signs of Teen Anxiety

According to John Hopkins Medicine, a few signs that your teen may be anxious might include:

Read More: “5 Tips To Engaging With Your Teen”

• Irritability/Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Easily Fatigued
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Sleep Problems
• Headaches
• Stomachaches

As a teen or a parent, you may just want to make the feelings of anxiety and stress go away.

You may want to remove these emotions from your life altogether rather than work through them. This may lead to more anxiety and stress.

Instead, it can be important to reach out for resources. Rather than removing the obstacle, ask yourself how to overcome the obstacle in a safe way.

You may think that your teen is being sensitive, making up the amount of anxiety they may feel in their life, or even catastrophizing their worries and stressors.

Even so, it is important to validate those feelings in order to support moving forward and making your relationship stronger.

Now that you know anxiety is a common problem among teens, what can you do about it as a parent or guardian?

How To Support a Teen’s Anxiety

Validate the feelings that your teen is willing to share with you.

This can help foster a relationship that supports open communication.

This can also help you and your teen build empathy and love toward one another.

You don’t have to fully understand every problem to show up and demonstrate compassion.

Limit your questioning.

Read More: “5 Reasons Your Teen Doesn’t Talk To You”

You may want to know every detail because it helps you to feel safe with the situation.

Instead, sit and listen to your teen.

They may be dealing with more than they are willing to share in the moment and building trust with you can be beneficial for their mental health.

Encourage healthy habits. 

This can be done through modeling the behavior.

By helping your teen with anxiety, you may be able to help your own anxiety too if you experience it.

Think about ways to cook nourishing meals together, celebrate physical movement, and promote sleep hygiene.

You can do more with following these guidelines yourself rather than nagging your teen about what they need to do and not following through.

Make time to talk to your teen without distractions. 

You may be tempted to disengage in your life; however, putting away phones and sitting with your teen for the sole purpose of listening can help support a healthy relationship for both of you.

Seek help through teen therapy. 

Sometimes, the best way to handle a difficult situation is to get help. It’s okay not to know everything as a parent.

There are professional teen therapists who not only know how to support but want to support the relationship you have with your teen.

It is not shameful to get appropriate support, like anxiety counseling, for someone you love.

This may seem like a daunting task to truly connect with your teen, and the relationship that you have with your teen is worth it.

By making these changes in your life, you may find that your own mental health and overall well-being improve too.

Teens have unique pressures like test-taking anxiety, social media comparisons, and not feeling understood. This is all while their brains are not fully developed.

When a teen doesn’t feel fully supported by the adults in their life, they may isolate or withdraw, leading to more anxiety and pressure.

As a parent or guardian, you have the ability to help facilitate conversations that can be lifesaving, lead to appropriate treatment, improve mental health, and make it known how much the teen in your life matters to you.

By opening up the dialogue about anxiety, you may learn something new about yourself and your teen too.

At Denver Metro Counseling, we have the resources to help you and your teen.

We offer individual teen counseling, a teen therapy group, young adult counseling, family counseling, parent support, and trauma-informed therapy to help you understand the impacts of mental health in your home and beyond.

When you have had enough, we can help. There is no shame in reaching out. We’ve got you.

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Written by: Randi Thackeray, MA
Clinically Reviewed and Edited by: Julie Reichenberger, MA, LPC, ACS, NCC