Teens and children often do not realize that they have anxiety problems. On the other hand, they may think that there is something wrong with them. They may focus on physical symptoms of anxiety like stomach aches. They might think that this symptom is just because of the fact that they are weak, weird, and out of control. The fact is that these thoughts might even make them feel more anxious. So, the first step you should take as a parent is to teach your teen about anxiety and how to identify it. Only when they are self-aware about their teen anxiety, they can come forward to talk to you in this respect.
Generally, most of the parents think that talking to a teen about anxiety will even worsen his condition. On the other hand, experts point out that when they can talk to their child about teen anxiety, they can reduce shame and confusion in the mind of their teen. It should also be explained to them that anxiety is something normal and it can be dealt with easily. This kind of approach will motivate the child to open up his mind to you. But, if you are hesitant about how to start talking about it with your child, the following tips will be helpful:
Move Friendly with Your Teen
You can sit closer to your child and can tell him words like ‘talk to me about the things that you find hard to digest’. When you can put this question in a friendly manner, there are great chances that he will open up his mouth and will share with you about the things that he is experiencing everyday in his life when he is along with his friends or all alone. If you can talk about the hard things that you experienced in your life when you were a teen, there are chances that he will open up about his teen anxiety.
Use Movies to Begin the Conversation
Some kids find themselves too much attached to certain incidences happening in the movie and so movies can be a good place to start. For instance, you can identify the favorite movie of your teen and can start watching it along with him when he is relaxed at home. You can watch any movie that your son points out to be the best and you can watch it without judging the content, but it is better to understand what is behind the content and why he likes the movie the most. It is true that there is something in the movie that moves your child to a great extent.
It might be a story about a child, who was always criticized by others, but he finally succeeds in the story or it might also be a movie about a girl, who is excluded. You can silently watch the movie along with him and can start the conversation after sometimes pointing out a particular scene in the film. You can praise the decision made by a character in a particular situation in the film and can ask him to give his suggestions.
In addition to the above-mentioned two things, you can also make a regular lunch with your kid and can move freely with him and can look for a chance to talk about the teen anxiety faced by him.