Top 3 Tips for Managing Teen Anxiety
Tip #1 Validation: Teens require a lot of validation. My first tip for managing teen anxiety for parents would be to validate your teens feelings of anxiousness. Validation is something you can do to help your teen know you are there for support and to listen. Validation is not giving advice and is not agreeing, it is slimily acknowledging that you are listening and understand. With teens it is all about perspective. How are they perceiving things? Showing that you’re willing to see things through their perspective can be tremendously helpful in making teens feel heard. This is also helpful for teens because they will be aware that you are there as a support for them.
Tip#2 Mindfulness: My next tip for parents in learning how to help their teens manage their anxiety is to practice mindfulness with them. Teens learn through role modeling. If teens see that you are willing to also make changes and practice skills, they will be more likely to do so. Mindfulness is something that can bring you and your teen together, it’s an opportunity to practice skills at home, and can be a great bonding experience. Mindfulness is one of the key components of DBT for a good reason. Mindfulness activities and skills are extremely helpful for coping and managing anxiety. Practicing these skills together also helps the family to heal together, making the teen not feel like the identified problem.
Tips #3 Positive Reinforcement: One skill we teach teens at mindful healing is the give myself credit skill. This means giving yourself credit for your successes, achievements and for trying your best. Giving yourself credit for even completing a small task can be motivating and helps build confidence. This can be reinforced at home by parents. When you acknowledge your teens change and progress it will help them to feel more confident, helps them to develop self-esteem and helps you to feel good as a parent. When punitive measures are used it can instill anxiety or fear, which can continue on as they transition into adolescence/adulthood. While children and teens do need discipline, using positive reinforcement is most effective and can help teens to feel more motivated.