Supporting your anxious teen involves patience, active listening, and empathy. It means taking a comprehensive approach that includes your teen’s environment, wellness, lifestyle, as well as the parents’ mental health. It requires a parent to work hard at understanding his or her teen without feeling judged. Let’s explore 5 ways to help your teen better manage anxiety.

1. Healthy Ways of Communicating

Encourage open communication by creating a safe space for your teen to express his or her feelings without fear of judgment. Use phrases such as, “I can see that you’re feeling worried about this,” or “It’s okay to feel scared,” to validate their emotions. Never minimize your teen’s anxiety. Lead by example by sharing how you struggle with some emotions at times. You want your teen to understand that their feelings are normal and manageable. If parents can create a safe space for their teens to express their emotions, they won’t feel like their emotions are bad, but rather fleeting experiences. Furthermore, ask open-ended questions to encourage your teen to elaborate on their experiences and offer support without offering unsolicited advice.

2. Mind-Body Practices

Integrating mind-body practices into your teen’s routine can significantly reduce anxiety. Practices such as mindfulness, breathwork, and imagery exercises teach teens how to stay grounded and deal with their stress and anxiety in the moment. These practices help calm the mind by focusing on being in the here and now. Mindfulness exercises have a direct impact on the nervous system since they reduce the physiological symptoms of anxiety, like a rapid heartbeat or shallow breathing. One simple suggestion is to encourage your teen to go for a walk with you in nature. Nature helps us focus on the here and now. Furthermore, exposure to green spaces, fresh air, and sunlight can help regulate mood-related processes like serotonin and melatonin.

3. Sleep and Relaxation

Adequate sleep is essential for healing anxiety. Sleep deprivation can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, leading to a vicious cycle where anxiety disrupts sleep and poor sleep increases anxiety. Encourage your teen to establish a consistent bedtime routine. Ideally, your teen needs to go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time. Have your teen stop using a screen at least 1 hour before going to bed. Suggest that your teen create a calm sleep environment, like a cool temperature and a dark room, that can help improve sleep quality. Relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises like inhaling for a count of 5 and exhaling for a count of 5, or inhaling for a count of 4, holding the breath for a count of 4, and exhaling for a count of 8. Encourage your teen to take a warm bath 30 minutes before going to bed to help relax their muscles. Furthermore, encourage your teen to listen to calming music before bed to help wind down and prepare for restful sleep.

4. Diet and Nutrition

The food your teen eats can have a profound impact on their emotional and mental health. A diet high in sugar, processed foods, and artificial additives can contribute to anxiety and mood swings. On the other hand, a diet rich in whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats, supports brain health and emotional stability. For example, omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon and flaxseeds, have been shown to reduce anxiety. Probiotic-rich foods like yogurt and fermented vegetables support gut health, which is closely linked to mental health through the gut-brain axis. Ensuring your teen is getting the right nutrients can help reduce anxiety and stabilize their mood. Furthermore, make sure your teen is drinking plenty of water.

5. Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is a natural anxiety reducer. Engaging in exercise distracts your teen from what they’re anxious about. When your teen moves, his/her body decreases muscle tension and lowers the body’s contribution to feeling anxious. In addition, exercise activates the frontal region of your teen’s brain that is responsible for executive function, which is the set of cognitive skills that help individuals plan, organize, manage time, and regulate emotions and behaviors. In addition, exercise helps control the amygdala, the reacting system to real or imagined threats to our survival. Furthermore, exercising regularly builds up resources that bolster resilience against challenging emotions. Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers and mood elevators.

If you’re the parent of an anxious teen, make time to be available for your teen and help them feel seen, heard, and supported. Help them prioritize a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy, exercising, and making sleep a priority. Demonstrate to your teen how you manage stress and anxiety by practicing deep breathing exercises, journaling, or spending time in nature. Offer them sources of personal support or professional help from a psychologist who specializes in anxiety if needed.

If you need extra support with anxiety, please contact me to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.