Tips for Dealing with Anxiety as a Teenager
Anxiety is something that many people face at some point in their life. Sometimes it’s situational, and sometimes it’s persistent. When it persists, we must learn to navigate it over time. As a teenager with anxiety, it may feel overwhelming to experience such strong emotions at such an important developmental time in one's life. However, it doesn’t need to define anyone’s experience. Anxiety in teens is increasing and while it can feel overwhelming to move through it as a teenage girl, or the parent of a teen girl, the great news is that anxiety can be managed both personally and with support. To help, we’ve gathered a small list of tips you can introduce into your daily life to reduce and possibly even prevent anxiety and its symptoms.
Ask for Support
While we will discuss several things that anyone can implement to manage their anxiety, if you have access to support, it’s important to consider asking for it. Whether it's sharing your concerns with a trusted friend or family member or working with a mental health professional who specializes in therapy for teen girls, it can be incredibly helpful to speak with someone who has experience managing anxiety and knows your particular situation. Having personalized tools and methods to handle the things that are making you anxious as well as the symptoms of the anxiety can help you feel empowered as well as less alone.
Focus on Your Breath
Anxiety can manifest in several ways. Sometimes it’s racing thoughts, other times you may experience more prominent physical symptoms. Focusing on your breathing can help with multiple anxiety symptoms as it redirects your thoughts and can also help to soothe and calm your nervous system. There are a variety of breathing techniques available to you and you may need to try a couple to find out what works best for you. Breathing that also requires counting (breathing in through your nose for 5 seconds, and exhaling loudly through your mouth for 5 seconds) can help to soothe a racing mind while you focus on the numbers. As the body starts to calm, the anxiety may reduce as well. Breathing is an excellent tool for any situation as it can be done discreetly even if you’re in a large group.
Take Notice of Your Surroundings
Another way to reroute your thoughts and distract your brain from the trigger of your anxiety is to ground yourself in your surroundings. When you begin to feel anxious think of a color. Let’s take blue for example. Look about your surroundings and focus on finding and mentally pointing out every blue item that you can find. You can also further connect to your environment by noticing your senses. Take note of 3-5 things that you can smell, feel, see, and hear. As your body and brain connect while you do this, it helps you to slow down the spiral into further anxiety and exist in the present moment.
Move Your Body
Although there are a variety of reasons one may decide to move their body, mental health is an incredibly important one. Studies have shown that exercise is an incredible aid in managing and even improving your mental health and its effects on anxiety are tremendous. While regular exercise of any kind is a great way to manage and sometimes mitigate anxiety long-term, it can also be used as needed for moments when you feel particularly anxious. Something as simple as a brisk walk, when you’re feeling anxious, can spur a release of endorphins and a reduction in feelings of panic. Some may choose to go for a run or spend time playing with a dog. The way you move your body is entirely up to you! Parents of teens with anxiety can plan family activities like outdoor games or sports. Or if you’re a teen with anxiety, ask a family member or friend to join you for a walk around the neighborhood.
Establish a New Routine
Finally, whether you don’t yet have a routine you love or you just decide to switch up your current routine, incorporating new habits can add a sense of accomplishment and purpose to your days which may help keep anxiety at bay. In order not to overwhelm yourself, it’s important to start with just one or two small habits that you can build on over time. Perhaps you’d like to make your mornings less stressful. Add an extra task to whatever you do before bed like selecting your clothes the evening before. Or, if you’re having trouble sleeping due to anxiety try creating some bedtime steps that help you reduce screen time and ease into sleep.
As with anything, it’s more important to take small steps that you can stick to rather than overwhelming yourself with many changes at once. This is no exception when you’re already dealing with anxiety. Identify two tools from this blog to start with and see how they work for you, once you’ve given them a try, feel free to add a few more! If you’d like to start with support from a therapist for anxiety, specifically tailored to teen girls and young women, reach out to us at Blossom Into A Better You here in St. Pete.
