As with many things in life, teenagers do not have built-in coping skills for dealing with high levels of stress. For most teens, these are things they learn as they get older. For this reason, anxiety management techniques for teens can help adolescents cope with the symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other emotional problems.
Many of the anxiety management techniques for teens are simple to learn and can be practiced in real-world situations. A teen can practice these techniques at home, school, work, or whenever they are in stressful situations. Let’s take a look at some of these techniques below.
Learn How to Breathe Deeply
Breathing deeply requires zero skill and can even occur while you are engaging in other activities. Start by sitting up straight and closing your eyes. From there, inhale through your nose slowly. Slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat breathing in and out until the anxiety goes away. Now you can open your eyes and reconnect.
Stay Present and Focus on the Moment
Staying present is not always easy when you are constantly recalling the past or worried about the future. However, it is possible to focus on the moment. Focus all of your attention on what is in front of you and clear everything else out of your mind.
Doing so will help relieve anxiety and allow you to tackle one chore or activity at a time. It will also keep you from feeling overwhelmed. By focusing on the task at hand, you will feel a sense of empowerment, because, at the very least, you can tackle that one task. This is one of the most effective anxiety management techniques for teens.
Use Your Five Senses
One of the best ways to achieve a state of presence is to pay attention to your senses. Your senses can instantly bring you back to reality.
- What are you touching?
- What do you see in front of you?
- What do you smell?
- What sounds are all around you?
- What is the taste in your mouth?
Senses have no thoughts, only responses. Therefore, respond to your senses. It will immediately take your mind off your thoughts.
Listen to Your Thoughts
There are many times when our thoughts “run away from us”. That is because we can be thinking about a million things and never realize just how much our brains are at work. Next time you experience anxiety, observe your thoughts. Do not judge – just observe. When you catch yourself thinking, you can pinpoint the cause of your anxiety: fear? Dread? Uncertainty? Anger? Instead of thinking about the circumstances around you, try to identify the tension inside of you.
Visit Your Therapist
Seeking help for your anxiety may be your best decision yet. A therapist can teach you all the things we just listed above. A therapist also provides a sounding board for you to express your thoughts, fears, feelings, and emotions.
Once your therapist has an idea of what is causing your stress and how you react to certain circumstances in your life, they can offer the right treatment that will help you overcome your struggles.
Addiction and Anxiety Management Techniques For Teens
Anxiety can often lead to addiction. If you are trying to self-medicate by drinking or taking drugs to ease your anxiety, then you will slowly develop a dependency on the substance. Eventually, dependency will turn into a full-blown addiction with potentially serious consequences. Do not allow your teen’s anxiety to trigger an addiction.
Learn More About Anxiety Management Techniques For Teens
Would you like to learn more about anxiety management techniques for teens? Anxiety treatment in North Carolina is available to you right now at Foothills at Red Oak. Call us today at 866.300.5275 to find out more about how to control your teen’s anxiety.
