Anxiety and Ways to Help It: Teen and Pre-Teen Edition

You must have heard people say that worry does not lessen anyone’s sorrow but only harms mental strength. Nothing can be more accurate than this. Almost every adult goes through stress and anxiety daily. However, now even kids and teens are suffering from the same issue. Though stress is a normal part of childhood, especially with increased competition among children, high anxiety levels can never be good.

Parents living in Midwest City who have noticed such signs of anxiety and stress in their children had to take them for counseling. This step helped the teenagers cope with mental health issues and taught them ways to grow. Keep scrolling to know how you can help your child get better.

What is Anxiety?

Before discussing about the healing possibility for anxiety, let’s understand what it implies. It is when a person feels uneasy and nervous after facing a situation or doing any activity. Many physical reactions happen with the feeling like:

  • Shakiness

  • Nausea

  • Sweating

  • Tension

It is essential to face the situation rather than ignore it to get over those feelings. Routine stress pushes you to do your everyday life. On the other hand, traumatic stress can cause serious problems. It is vital to opt for counseling if your child faces such an issue.

Why Teen Brains Suffer Anxiety?

Teenagers nowadays go through many challenging phases in life, be it in school or social background. They get into a situation where they try to create their persona, especially among the peer group outside the family. This type of situation in their life provokes anxiety and stress, which can be hard to handle.

Science claims teens have high survival sense that gives rise to fearful thoughts. But they do not have a well-developed prefrontal cortex. That means the arrival of intimidating circumstances makes it harder for them to cope with stress. . The best way to help them is by taking them for counseling.

What are the Different Type of Anxieties?

You can categorize anxiety into four types, namely:

  • Learning behavior- In this, the person observes the anxious behavior of other and develop such issues.

  • Thinking style- When a child goes through excess worry.

  • Environmental factor- If the child is living in a stressful environment.

  • Behavioral inhabitation- It indicates shyness.

How Can You Help Them Besides Counseling?

Counseling is the best way to overcome such issues, but you, as a parent, can also help your children with their anxiety problems. Here are some ways you can handle it:

Understand Their Feelings- The first step in making them feel less anxious is acknowledging their issues. It is essential to handle their feelings with warmth so that they can use self-compassion in challenging situations.

Encourage Them to Talk About Such Problems- When you let your child talk about their issue, they feel heard and understood. It will help them further to speak with their counselors.

Help Them to be Brave- You can set small challenges or goals for your child on things that make them feel nervous. Remember not to push them too hard to face situations that scare them.

Help Them Make Healthy Choices- Your teenagers must lead a healthy lifestyle. You must encourage them to go on walks daily and eat a healthy diet to conquer the fear.

Take Professional Help

If your child is going through such an issue and you want professional help for them, then contact Metro Family Therapy. Some of our best therapists aim to discover unhealthy patterns and reinforce positive ones. Call us at (405) 549-8606 to schedule your appointment.

**Disclaimer: Content posted here is not intended as medical advice and constitutes no patient relationship or medical treatment.