Teenage Stress: Catching Up With Adult Anxiety
Teens today experience stress at levels that rival adults. Young people today are more connected than ever and are susceptible to stress from sources that can be nearly impossible to disconnect from whether it’s peers, family, academic, or community stressors. For many reasons, it can be challenging for loved ones to recognize when teens are experiencing typical day-to-day stressors, and when their stress is actually better defined by anxiety. Here are some ways to identify and support a teen in your life that may be affected by anxiety.
What are some major sources of anxiety for teens?
Some common sources of anxiety in teens include academic stress - getting into a good college, choosing a career path; social stressors - developing healthy and supportive peer relationships, exploring romantic relationships; global/political stressors - racial injustice, gun violence, climate change. Additionally, teens are impacted by stressors from their home- changes or instability in the home, separation of parents, changing homes/schools, feeling unsupported or rejected by family members, illness and death of loved ones. Increasingly, with the access of new technologies, it can also be challenging for teens to escape and disconnect from sources of anxiety, whether it’s through participating in school online, instances of cyber bullying, social media & comparison, or constant notifications — being constantly plugged in can bring a barrage of negative and anxious feelings.
What does anxiety look like in teens?
Anxiety in teens can be a challenge to identify as it can have behavioral, emotional, and physical symptoms. These may include unrealistic or uncontrollable worry and stress about events - both real and perceived, inability to regulate and soothe their emotions such as increased episodes of aggression or sadness, inability to move on from distressing thoughts or events, or withdrawing from social or extracurricular events that would typically bring joy. It can also have physical effects such as nausea, headaches, increased heart-rate, shortness of breath, changes in appetite, fatigue and changes in sleep patterns. Adolescence and teenage-hood naturally is a time of much change, physically, emotionally and mentally, but if you are worried that a teen may be anxious, there are ways that you can understand and help them?
How can you support your teen?
Teens often feel isolated and alone in these complex feelings. Normalizing and validating their experience, without judgement, can be one of the most effective ways to provide support. Encouraging your teen to develop healthy habits relating to exercise, eating, sleep, screen time, perfectionism, and peer relationships can ensure that they have support and outlets for their anxiety. Psychotherapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help your teen to develop ways of understanding and relating to their anxious thoughts and feelings and reframe negative thoughts and feelings to make them more tolerable. Helping teens to develop a mindfulness practice and help them feel grounded and in control of their racing thoughts.
As a teen, or parent & caregiver, it can be frustrating and even frightening to experience these symptoms of anxiety but please know that you are not alone! Teens today are growing up in unprecedented circumstances and our specialist teen therapists are here to help you navigate this uncertainty. Anxious thoughts and feelings can be controlled and minimized. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to schedule a consultation and learn about our offerings for teens.