Understanding and Supporting Teens with Anxiety: 5 Helpful Strategies

Anxiety treatment has been shown to be extremely effective for teens with anxiety when evidence-based interventions are implemented. That is the good news! However, it is extremely concerning information for parents and teachers that anxiety in teenagers appears to be increasing. The National Institutes of Health reported that approximately 1 in 3 adolescents, between the ages of 13 to 18 years old will experience an anxiety disorder. Further, these numbers have been rising with the data revealing that anxiety disorders in children and teens have increased by 20% between 2007 and 2012. 

It is also known that mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, have been on the rise for adolescents since the COVID-19 pandemic, “Recent research covering 80,000 youths globally found that depressive and anxiety symptoms doubled during the pandemic with 20% of youth reporting that they are experiencing significant anxiety symptoms”.

These are concerning statistics, of course. Understandably, parents and educators are concerned about youth and teens and want to be able to better understand and help individuals experiencing anxiety.

Read on to learn about how you can identify and understand teen anxiety as well as five helpful strategies that you can use to support any teen in your life who might be experiencing increased symptoms of anxiety. These strategies may be helpful alone or in combination with anxiety treatment. 

Understanding Teen Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders: What Does It Look Like?

Anxiety can be overwhelming and all-consuming when one experiences it. Although everyone does experience anxiety from time to time, the experience of an anxiety disorder is very different. When an individual is experiencing an anxiety disorder, it impacts them in several different aspects of their life and their ability to function on a daily basis. Teens with anxiety can experience this in different areas of their life – such as social anxiety, generalized anxiety, test anxiety as well as intense perfectionism that might result in anxiety or distress. When anxiety becomes overwhelming, it is important to speak with a healthcare provider and learn more about options for treatment for anxiety disorders. 

When teens experience perfectionism within a school context, they might be driven to excel academically and experience intense anxiety when studying, completing assignments and attending school. They might become very “mark-focused” and hard on themselves when they believe their performance is anything short of “perfection”. Perfectionism can also be experienced in other ways, which might include demands on oneself as well as others. 

Some examples of perfectionism in youth and teens might include:

• Items to be organized in a particular way within one’s room or home environment
• Expectations of how others should be carrying out their daily functions with some frustration if they are not consistent with how the individual believes things should be
• Becoming emotional, angry or extremely anxious at the idea of or actually making mistakes
• Tasks feel so overwhelming because of the drive to complete them “perfectly” that chronic procrastination might ensue
• Tasks take an extraordinarily long time to complete due to extreme thoroughness or the need to check and recheck (e.g., spending hours on homework or other tasks that should be completed within 20-30 minutes)
• Emotional dysregulation when tasks do not go “as planned” 
• Avoidance of new activities for fear of risking mistakes and not doing “well”

There are several different symptoms that we can watch for when it comes to the experience of anxiety in teens. We are often looking for symptoms that are fairly continuous and greatly impact an individual’s daily life. In order to provide support to teens when they experience anxiety, we want to be able to recognize the signs. Here are some things that you can look for as a parent, loved one or teacher:

• Physical symptoms: increased headaches, stomachaches or noticeable fatigue
• Changes in behaviour: increased isolation from friends and family, school refusal or increased avoidance, changes in sleep and eating habits 
• Emotions and thoughts: restlessness, feelings of being overwhelmed, irritability, and catastrophic thoughts

Understanding that anxiety is a real and often overwhelming experience for teens is key to providing the right support. Now, let’s delve into five strategies to help teens cope with anxiety.

Let’s now turn to 5 helpful strategies that we can consider when wanting to help teens manage their anxiety. These strategies can be used by both parents and educators when they notice that a teen is experiencing signs of anxiety and distress. 

Strategy 1: Provide NonJudgemental Support: A Key to Helping Anxious Teens

When a teen is showing signs of anxiety, you want to provide support for them that is nonjudgmental in order to enhance an open dialogue and allow them to feel safe and supported. Should a teen seek treatment for anxiety disorders, this is an essential part of the therapeutic process. 

Here are some ways that you can create a non-judgemental supportive environment for your teen:

• Promote Open Discussion: Validation is key to your teen feeling they can express their emotions and be honoured in their experiences.
  
• Reinforce the Importance of their Opinion: Let teens know that their opinions matter. What they have to say and think is important and meaningful. Anxiety can develop and be amplified by any number of stressors. But when someone knows that concerns matter and their opinions count, it can help foster open dialogue and allow teens to express themselves more readily and openly.
  
• Understand the Stressors within the Environment: Stress exists everywhere. Your teen might be experiencing it within school, within their friend group or through social media. Knowing where stressors might exist in their world can be very important to allow for support and conversation. Educators should also be aware of what might be happening within the school environment that can increase stress and anxiety. Conversations within the classroom that are open and non-judgmental can allow teens to realize they are not alone in their experiences. This can be the key to decreasing anxiety or understanding where help is needed. 

If you think that a teen you know might benefit from anxiety treatment, there are lots of ways to help them receive this. If you are an educator, you might consider speaking with the teen and parents together and exploring services within the school or community. If you are a parent, you might consider speaking with your family physician regarding referrals.

Our clinic, Forward Thinking Psychological Services, also provides comprehensive anxiety disorder treatment for teens and adolescents. We welcome all inquiries to see how we can help!

Strategy 2: Teaching About Anxiety: Encouraging Open Conversations 

When adolescents and teens learn about what stress and anxiety are, they can understand their own concerns and when they might be concerning and detrimental. As we have said, not everyone who experiences anxiety is in need of treatment for anxiety disorders. However, providing education and support can allow for much-needed dialogue and powerful conversations. 

Here are some ways in which that can be done:

• Educate Students: Make sure that mental health is discussed within classrooms. Students should learn about the physiology of anxiety. For example, what is the fight flight freeze response? How does our body experience anxiety and what are some ways in which our body is able to achieve a state of emotional regulation, even when faced with anxiety? Knowing that our bodies are equipped to manage the sensations of anxiety can be enlightening and empowering.
  
• Talk Openly about Anxiety: Families can discuss symptoms of anxiety together. Educate yourself as a parent and pass this knowledge on to your children. We all experience anxiety in different ways and it can be helpful for your teen to know that. You might even be a parent who has experienced anxiety and sought treatment for anxiety. Don’t be afraid to share this. When your child learns that you have lived experience and are comfortable sharing that with them, it can allow them the courage to speak with you about their feelings too. 

Strategy 3: Encourage Gradual Exposure and Decrease Avoidance Behaviours

An extremely effective treatment for anxiety disorders will often include Exposure Therapy. This is part of a broader treatment approach, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). During this type of approach, which is often used in treatment for social anxiety and treatment for treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, individuals will learn to approach triggers of their anxiety rather than avoid them. It is often “easier” in the short term to avoid events and activities that cause anxiety. However, in the long run, it feeds the anxiety cycle and often amplifies the experience of anxiety when we encounter these situations in the future. 

Here are some ways we can encourage people to engage in gradual exposure strategies:

• Small Steps: Encourage your teen to gradually expose themselves to triggering situations that they have been avoiding that are mildly anxiety-producing. In addition, and importantly, make sure these activities are meaningful to them. No one likes to experience anxiety just for the sake of it. But if that activity or event is connected to something that is actually of meaning to them, they will be much more likely to want to do it. And they might also enjoy themselves despite experiencing some anxiety while they are doing it. Engaging in activities that are of value to us comes from the work of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It is well worth exploring with your teen.
  
• Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome: Remember that any decrease in avoidance behaviour is worth celebrating. It is not important whether an entire activity was accomplished. But if your teen tries to engage in something they typically avoid, that is success-worthy. It can be discussed what made it hard to fully do what they set out to do. And then that is information for the next attempt!

Strategy 4: Provide Tools for Anxiety Management

There are many different strategies that are worth discussing with a teen who is experiencing anxiety. These are strategies that can be discussed in the classroom as well as at home:

Deep Breathing: Breathing exercises are often used to aid in achieving states of relaxation. Deep breathing is one of the most commonly recommended ones, as there is good research evidence to support its use. Many resources exist on how one can engage in different breathing techniques. Exercise. Practicing this technique 2-3 times per day can allow an individual to learn how it feels when muscles are relaxed and when they are in a state of tension. 

Exercise: Physical activity has been shown to have many benefits. In terms of mental health, it has been found to have a positive impact on depression and lessen symptoms of anxiety. As with any activity, you want to encourage your teen to start small and engage in activities that they enjoy. This will often enhance the chance of success in sticking with it and being able to enjoy the benefits. 

Journaling: Encouraging teens to take time within a classroom setting or at home to journal can be very positive.  Although more research is needed, it has been suggested that journaling can allow for positive benefits and can be regarded as an adjunct to other types of treatment. 

Strategy 5: Understand Options and Resources for Professional Services

It is very important for parents and educators to be aware of resources available for teens with anxiety. Anxiety Canada is an excellent resource for individuals to learn more about anxiety in terms of education and intervention. Beyond that, one might want to look into professional support for their loved one.

The best anxiety treatments will often include interventions such as CBT. Within this anxiety treatment approach, teens will learn 

strategies and tools to help them reframe anxious thoughts, approach situations instead of avoid them and create distance and perspective from their symptoms of anxiety. 

It is important to recognize and understand the symptoms of anxiety and when anxiety treatment might be the best approach to take. We hope this blog has helped you to gain some insight and understanding into the presentation of anxiety in teens.

Where Can I Find Anxiety Treatment for My Teen?

Does FTPS offer treatment for anxiety disorders for teens near me? We do! We offer interventions CBT approaches as well as ACT approaches, mindfulness and more! Our clinicians have completed training in all of these interventions and are able to deliver evidence-based interventions for anxiety treatment. We always continue to engage in professional development in order to provide you with the best treatment possible.  We deliver online therapy across Canada, throughout  Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and New Brunswick. We look forward to hearing from you so we can tell you about our treatment approaches and services. Contact us today!

References

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/emotional-problems/Pages/Anxiety-Disorders.aspx
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder#part_155096
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8353576
https://www.anxietycanada.com/downloadables/helping-your-child-overcome-perfectionism
https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/fight-flight-freeze-anxiety-explained-for-kids
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapy-types/acceptance-and-commitment-therapy
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27247-y
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-relief-breathing-techniques