Are you a parent of a teenager struggling with anxiety? If so, we understand the unique difficulties that come with parenting an anxious teen. Here you’ll find advice on how to build trust and communication between yourself and your teen, as well as ways to motivate teens with anxiety.
Understanding and Motivating Teens With Anxiety
Understanding the causes of teenage anxiety is an important first step in helping your teen manage their emotions, and ultimately gain the confidence they need to live a happy and healthy life.
Teen anxiety can stem from a variety of sources, such as major life changes, low self-esteem, and even genetics. It’s not always easy for teens to recognize and communicate their anxieties, but understanding the reasons why they may be feeling this way gives both parents and teachers the tools to provide appropriate support.
It’s also essential that you as a parent allow your teenager plenty of time to relax and unwind. By considering these causes of teenage anxiety and creating supportive learning environments, you can ensure that teenagers today have the right emotional support needed to help them develop into well-rounded adults.
Ways to Motivate Teens With Anxiety
Invite them into your routine
Sometimes teenagers have trouble knowing what to do and when to do it. They do not have the ability to make plans and follow through with them. When you invite your teenager into your routine, it allows them to see what your day looks like, how you accomplish things on your to-do list, and how you manage your time to complete the things you want to do each day. Sharing your routine allows them to develop their own.
Acknowledge the small things they accomplish
For a teen struggling with anxiety, completing tasks throughout the day can be incredibly difficult. Acknowledging their accomplishments allows them to see that they do things every day. Every little thing counts. It doesn’t have to be a huge project for them to feel like they did something good in their day. Motivate teens with anxiety with a simple way to go when they earned it!
Help them set reasonable daily goals
Teenagers often overestimate their abilities. When this happens, it is difficult to feel like they completed anything even though they probably did. Helping your teens set reasonable daily goals allows them to see that the little things they do mean more than they realize. Giving your teenagers a chance to reach goals each day will help them find reasons to finish each day strong.
Encourage Time Management Skills
When working with a teen with anxiety they can only think about everything that needs to get done and then starts focusing on the bad. Help them organize their to-do list and then assign time frames for everything they need to get done. Once they see that they can accomplish the task at hand during the time allotted they will feel less anxious.
Talk about their concerns and worries
One of the best ways to work through problems is to talk about them. Once you know the kinds of things they are worried about, you can help them find ways to overcome those concerns. As you have an open conversation with them, you can talk about how you can help them to be triumphant over the things they struggle with the most. I find that the car is the best place to have your teen’s undivided attention. You don’t even have to ask hard questions. Just have fun topics to talk about or even tell jokes.
Help build their coping skills
We all have trials and struggles. But anxiety can make everything else seem like nothing is possible. Giving our kids tools to make it through the anxiety is a great way to help them be self-reliant! You can even try mindfulness activities for teens. We are not always going to be right at our kids’ sides to make their problems go away. But if we give them skills that will allow them to get rid of their own problems, then we won’t need to worry about them as they get older and move away.
Be supportive but not controlling
Young people of all ages love to feel autonomy. When we control their schedules, choices, or ideas, they lose a sense of self and desire to want to do things. When we do our best to not control their actions, it gives them the freedom to make the right choices when we are not there. Being supportive of the things they try will give them the confidence they need to move forward with the challenges they face.
Help them identify their feelings
Feelings are a touchy subject for many. It is easy to get out of touch with them and not realize what feelings we are experiencing. When we teach our children what different feelings are, what they mean, and how to put them at bay, they have the ability to control their world! Being able to manipulate how you feel is powerful. It allows you to keep going and trying even though it seems impossible during your darkest, saddest moments.
Encourage Self-Care Practices To Motivate Teens with Anxiety
As a parent of a teenager with anxiety, you know how important it is to help them combat their feelings. One of the best ways to do this is by encouraging them to practice self-care. Whether that looks like taking breaks for deep breathing, crafting in an art journal, or having quality time with friends, providing your child with the tools and resources they need to support themselves can go a long way in helping them manage their anxiety. Talk to your teenager about what makes them feel better and set up routines that will help them have success within the home environment.
Create a Supportive and Understanding Home Environment
Creating a supportive and understanding home environment for teenagers with anxiety is essential. Building trust with your teen will go a long way toward helping them deal with their anxiety. By setting realistic expectations and rules, listening to their feelings and concerns, ensuring they have access to professional help when needed, and providing a safe space to talk – you are creating the building blocks of an open conversation between you and your teen.
With time and patience, providing the support and understanding our teens need can help them gain confidence in handling the challenges that come with their anxiety. Taking care of your teenager with anxiety can be a challenging yet rewarding journey. It’s important to keep in mind that teenagers are still developing and discovering who they are in the world, so understanding the causes and recognizing triggers is an invaluable tool.
Motivation is such an important factor in our lives and especially in the lives of teenagers with anxiety. Allowing teens to find their inner purpose and goals may be even more effective when it comes to combating anxiety. It is key to grant them the opportunity to take control of their future and actively encourage a sense of self-worth. As family members or caregivers, we should model this behavior so they are inspired and felt supported in their endeavors. Motivating Teenagers with Anxiety is important in order to give them hope for their futures while also engaging in making positive changes. Let’s work together at identifying their passions and cheer them through all their success.