If you observe that your teen cries without any reason or indulges in tantrums, you should closely monitor his or her behavior because there are chances he or she may have been affected by teen anxiety. Other symptoms of this problem may be excessive shyness, not willing to participate in social situations, experiencing sudden panic attacks or frequently complaining of various types of aches.
Once you certainly know that your child has been affected by teen anxiety, you should devise suitable coping strategies. Your teen should also be taught ways to cope with this problem.
Coping strategies
You may not recognize the problem
Since adolescents with teen anxiety may generally comply with the instructions they receive, you may fail to notice the symptoms. You should acquire a thorough knowledge about the problem so that you recognize the symptoms and take timely action. Negligence of parents may lead to other problems like depression, issues in career growth, strained relationships or drug abuse. In short, there may be an overall impact on the teen’s life itself.
Do not get overwhelmed by the situation
Even when your teen was a kid, you might have noticed that your child used to be different from other children, but you might be thinking that things would change as the child grew. But since you have not taken any action, the problem may have worsened. There is no point in getting overwhelmed about the condition. Instead of lamenting over your mistake, you should decide to take action at least now. The good news is that you can manage the situation and teach your teen also how to cope with his or her anxiety problem.
Play your role in the right manner
As a parent, you should play your role in the right manner. In fact, children including teens depend upon their parents. They consider their parents as their role models. If parents have the habit of worrying about trivial things, children may also develop that habit. So, if you change yourself and take things lightly, your teen may also slowly learn the habit.
Motivation is the key
Children with teen anxiety will worry more than other normal children. For example, if there is an examination, your teen may worry excessively and so, you should keep motivating him or her. You should remind those examinations or tests in which he or she has scored high marks. You should impress upon your teen that if he or she has prepared well for the examination, there is no need to worry at all. You should drive home the point that the focus should be on preparation and succeeding in the examination and not on failure.
Anxiety attacks are not dangerous
It is true that your teen may feel uncomfortable during anxiety attacks but these situations are not dangerous. In general, avoidance behavior may be predominant in children with teen anxiety. This means that they will try to avoid situations that may cause worry to them. Though avoidance is good in potentially dangerous situations, avoiding challenges that can be surmounted may not do good to the growth of these teens.
Regular reassurances will help
You should keep reassuring your teen as frequently as possible. You should adopt a patient as well as consistent approach so that coping skills can be effectively imparted into the child. Constant encouragement and motivation may help children cope with their teen anxiety problem.