5 Anxiety Coping Skills for Teenagers

Many teens and preteens experience a wide range of emotions as they go through big shifts in their lives. Preteens become teenagers, and teenage anxiety is often a result of the fear of growing up, the struggle to fit in, stress response, and even not getting enough sleep.

As a parent, it can feel hard knowing how to navigate this teenage anxiety. Camelback Integrated Health and Wellness is here to offer our best advice for developing coping skills for the different anxiety symptoms your preteen and teen may be facing.

Identifying Anxiety Symptoms

You know what it’s like to feel anxious, but your kids may not. If you’re looking for ways to support your preteen’s mental health, a good place to start is learning what anxiety symptoms can look like. Teenage anxiety can look like this:

• Physical symptoms like shallow breathing
• Negative self-talk
• Panic attacks
• Intense emotions
• General negative thoughts
• Limited physical activity

There are many reasons that teens and preteens experience generalized anxiety disorder, like more stress at school (e.g., taking tests), peer pressure, shifting from child to adult, and more. Being aware of these stressful events can help you better understand your child and work on building coping skills with them.

Coping Strategies for Anxiety

Ongoing anxiety is exhausting, especially for young bodies. Everyday life offers unique challenges to kids, and learning how to face them is hard work. In anxious moments, you can teach your child these anxiety coping skills for teens to reduce anxiety:

1. Breathing exercises: mental well-being is dependent upon taking action, even if that action is as simple as controlling one’s breath. In stressful situations, teach your teens the power of deep breathing exercises. This can help to calm the nervous system and eliminate feelings of worry by making a conscious effort.
2. Create a peaceful environment: Eliminate clutter and help foster a space for your child where they can feel relaxed. In the wake of lifestyle changes, it’s important to provide teens with something consistent. When they feel they have a safe space, they can go work through their anxious thoughts in peace.
3. Work on physical health: Diet and exercise are an important part of everyone’s lives. In some ways, these two things can directly impact the body’s stress response. When kids are consuming tons of sugar, they often experience a crash, which can lead them to feel anxious and out of control. Helping them keep a balanced diet and supporting their physical health can improve their mental health, too.
4. Spending time together: Families who spend time together can help improve the way teens experience anxiety. When life feels hard, teens with tight-knit families know exactly who they can turn to. Big emotions are a result of developing, so having a solid foundation for support can help them cope with anxiety.
5. Unfollow accounts: Parents know all too well that preteens and teenagers spend most of their time on social media. During teenage years, it’s common for kids to start comparing themselves to the people they see online, creating feelings of unworthiness and jealousy. These emotions are normal, but they can often be helped by simply unfollowing some of the accounts that cause these emotions.

Integrating these coping mechanisms and strategies into the lives of teens with anxiety can significantly improve their ability to manage their symptoms and enhance their overall well-being. The goal is to provide a comprehensive toolkit that teens can draw from, depending on their individual needs and the specific challenges they face with anxiety

Supportive Anxiety Coping Mechanisms for Home and School

As we mentioned, anxiety coping skills for teens can help them have a base to refer to in times of intense anxiety. Coping skills can help kids get through physical symptoms, anxious thoughts, and more. Encourage them to practice these coping strategies both at home and in school, and include ways to incorporate positive self-talk with them when you can.

Empowering Teens Through Knowledge

The more your teen knows about anxiety management, the safer they can feel when they experience panic attacks or increased stress. Working on identifying a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset can help show them the lifestyle changes they can make to reduce anxiety on their own, helping them develop some independence.

Practical Support Strategies

Anxiety coping skills for teens are fairly straightforward, but in the event that their anxiety doesn’t seem to respond to these coping strategies, it may be time to consider working with healthcare professionals like the experts at Camelback. Teen anxiety is normal, but more severe anxiety disorders may need a little extra care. If your teen or preteen is experiencing severe anxiety, don’t worry. Camelback is here to help.