Anxiety in Teens: What's It All About?

The signs, symptoms, causes, and coping strategies of teenage anxiety

Do you remember being a teenager? Maybe you are a teenager reading this blog right now. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or a teenager reading this, you need to remember: the teenage years are a time of great change.

For this reason, feeling anxious is a common reaction. Whether it is changes in the body, being asked to make decisions about “the future” or complying with a school regime that is difficult to comply with for many reasons - such as ADHD or autism (but more on that in another blog).

That being said, there is a line where occasional feelings of anxiousness become more and more pervasive and slide into all-out anxiety where day-to-day functioning becomes difficult and teenagers require attention and support. In this article, I will look at the signs, symptoms, causes, and coping strategies for anxiety in teenagers.

Signs and Symptoms

While symptoms vary, look for these common indicators:

1. Excessive Worry: This is usually about various aspects of their lives, such as school performance, social interactions, or family issues. Is your teen worried about what their peers will think? Do they say they are struggling to make friends? Are they preoccupied with worry about something that seems entirely new? Think about whether they mention academics, their school uniform or something else - and think about what it means to be excessive.

2. Physical Symptoms: Something that is not commonly understood is that feeling mentally unwell - being stressed or experiencing anxiety - can cause physical symptoms. Have you ever heard the term “gut feeling”? That arises from the fact that there is a ‘direct line’ between the stomach and the brain. They can influence each other. When we sleep, they exchange information all night. Is your teen reporting feeling more physical illness? Maybe it’s their mental health playing a role.

3. Avoidance Behaviours: This can show up in many ways. Maybe your happy, social child has become a teen who does not like socialising. They tell you they do not like their after-school clubs anymore. Do not confuse this with their changing interests as they move from childhood to adulthood - but be curious about when they seem to be avoiding everything they used to like.

4. Irritability: So you might be tempted to think here “All teenagers are irritable, aren’t they? How do I tell the difference?”

It’s true (somewhat). Being a teenager makes you much, much more likely to be emotionally driven and make bad choices (such as screaming at your well-meaning mother) but this is something a caregiver should keep an eye out for: do they get wound up by things that would not usually wind them up? Are they experiencing mood swings or having anger outbursts?

5. Changes in Behaviour: This can be at either end of the spectrum, and relates a little to avoidance behaviours. Is your teen withdrawing and shutting themselves away? Are they increasingly isolated? Or is their behaviour radically different in another way - a new crowd maybe? Are they struggling with their concentration? Or eating a lot more or a lot less?

So what are the causes?

Several factors may be at play here when it comes to a teenager developing an anxiety disorder. These include:

1. Genetics: If there is mental illness of any kind, or anxiety in particular, in your immediate family or not too distantly in the family tree, there is a greater chance of teens experiencing anxiety disorders. We could have an entire nature versus nurture debate here - but really, we are just thinking about the risk here.

2. Chemistry: What do we mean by this? All sorts of brain chemicals may influence whether anxiety is developed or anxious feelings are experienced: serotonin and dopamine in the brain, or cortisol being held in the body.

3. Environmental Stressors: This could have its own blog entirely (and likely will at some point)! If a teen is experiencing high levels of stress at home, school, or in their social circles, this might trigger an anxiety disorder if this does not relent. Think about anything you can exert consistent pressure onto: after a while, it will bend. Teenagers are no different. Consistent stressors can reshape responses if they do not go away. This leads onto…

4. Traumatic Experiences: Teenagers and children are particularly sensitive to the effects of traumatic events. These events might include abuse, bullying, or bereavement, and can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders in teenagers.

5. Personality Traits: Perfectionism or low self-esteem will very often lead to anxiety disorders. If we want to be perfect, failing to achieve it will make us anxious - especially if we do not realise that perfection is not possible. And low self-esteem? If we do not like ourselves, then anxiety will arise ordinarily from that - whether we are right or we are wrong about our self-perception!

Can my teen cope by themselves?

Maybe. Anxiety can feel overwhelming but it does not have to stay that way. There are various coping strategies and techniques that teenagers can utilize to manage their symptoms effectively:

1. Deep Breathing Exercises: Things like a STAR breathing break can help teens when they feel a lot of stress or anxiety. Encourage your teen to practice deep breathing exercises to calm their mind and body during moments of anxiety. Connected to this exercise is thinking about what sort of sensations in the body your teen notes, and what these feelings might mean, leading into…

2. Mindfulness and Meditation: Teach your teen mindfulness techniques and meditation practices to help them stay grounded and present in the moment. This could be just taking a moment to be silent, it could be journaling, or colouring in a mandala - mindful activities can look different, and as your teen is an individual, the types they might enjoy might be different.

3. Regular Exercise: Physical activity can help reduce anxiety levels by releasing endorphins and promoting relaxation. This might be a boxing class, football, or an after-school club of some sort with activity. It might also help to resolve some of those issues with avoidance if they have developed. If not, encourage them to try jogging, yoga, or swimming.

4. Healthy Lifestyle Habits: This is good advice generally but more important when we have become overly anxious - lack of sleep, poor diet, high amounts of caffeine can all increase our anxiety. Bringing our lifestyle into balance can be a part of bringing ourselves back into balance. Reduce coffee intake or, more likely for a teen, reduce energy drinks and soft drinks. Try and eat more fruits and vegetables to try and balance nutrition (no, not potato…) and try to embrace sleep hygiene and good amounts of sleep - that’s eight hours minimum for a teen, who should aim for ten.

What if we need professional help?

Then you have come to the right place to consider this. As a mental health practitioner myself, I might say “pick me! Pick me!” but you have lots of choices.

1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): CBT is a highly effective therapeutic approach for treating anxiety in teenagers. The therapist helps your teen identify and challenge negative thought patterns and develop healthy coping strategies. This is done through a cycle like the below:

This is available on the NHS through CAMHS or, sometimes, through adult IAPT services for slightly older teens.

2. Counselling: Counselling is a form of talking therapy to allow teens to explore issues of their own volition, with the counsellor alongside. This might be through talking, play, movement, music, and other arts. There are lots of ways to do therapy. This may be available through CAMHS, a local charity or privately.

3. Coaching: Coaching is a form of development that supports teens in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance, all of which are supported by an experienced coach who may have a speciality. Like counselling, this may be done in any number of methods depending on the desired outcome.

Can you help me?

I can try! Get in touch:

Final thoughts

Whatever may have your teen showing signs of anxiety - there are things you can do and support you can access. All of this starts with you talking to your teen openly, kindly, and non-judgementally about what is going on.

Did you like this post? Think you have a friend who might want to read it?

Make sure you don’t miss any of my other posts: