From chaos to calm – ChristianaCare News

Nearly one in three teenagers struggling with an anxiety disorder. Some of the many common anxiety disorders that teens experience include generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorder. For almost 10% of teenagers, anxiety leads to serious limitations; that is, you cannot enjoy your normal life or perform daily tasks because of the severity of your anxiety.

Anxiety in teens can be caused by many factors.

  • Genetics.
  • Local environment.
  • Specific stressors at home or at school.
  • Trauma.
  • Comorbid health problems.

If you’re a teen currently struggling with anxiety issues or a parent hoping to connect your adolescent with resources and treatment, we’ve identified some key strategies you can use to alleviate symptoms and seek help if they do. become too overwhelming.

Common signs of anxiety in teens

Anxiety can be expressed differently from person to person due to the specific anxiety disorder causing the problem and/or the circumstances in which the fear occurs. Here are a few telltale signs that you or your teen may be struggling with anxiety.

  • Stopping or avoiding once enjoyable activities. Let’s say you once enjoyed meeting your friends at the mall, but now the idea fills you with dread. Or maybe the idea of ​​going to a certain class at school makes you feel more uncomfortable than usual. Anxiety can cause you to stop doing things you used to enjoy or avoid the source of anxiety.
  • Irritability or difficulty navigating emotions. While any teen and parent will tell you that an increase in irritability may be a normal part of adolescence, if you experience a sudden increase in conflict or have trouble modulating, it could indicate that something deeper is going on. of emotions (such as outbursts or crying). .
  • An increase in worry or preoccupation. If your thoughts are abnormally fixed or swirling on a specific topic, and it interferes with your ability to sleep, have conversations, or complete schoolwork. This could be a sign that you are dealing with anxiety.
  • Physical symptoms such as headache, palpitations or gastrointestinal complaints. A common misconception about fear is that fear is mainly felt and experienced in the mind, but that is not entirely true. The brain has a direct effect on the gastrointestinal system, which can lead to anxiety-inducing symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and even vomiting in some anxious teens. Headaches are also a common side effect of anxiety, and a racing heart can often accompany panic attacks or other heightened moments of anxiety.

If one or more of these symptoms sound like something you might be dealing with, know that you’re not alone and things can get easier, especially with a few key tips.

Tips for dealing with anxiety

Cultivating calmness and returning to normality are the most important goals in addressing anxiety. Here are some strategies for dealing with anxiety, whether you’re a teen or the parent of a teen.

  • Cultivate a routine. If anxiety is caused by a sudden or surprising life change, creating predictability in a routine can help restore a sense of stability. Try to find the parts of the day when you feel the calmest (maybe reading before bed or exercising after school) and build activities into your daily routine that help you capture that calm feeling.
  • Learn to identify thoughts and feelings. Often with anxiety we get so caught up in the flow of fear and excitement that we are unaware of our other thoughts and feelings. When anxiety is not expressed in words, it finds its way out of the body through actions, whether that is irritability or any of the other symptoms mentioned above. Loving one mood diary or thought journal can help you notice feelings more consciously.
  • Add mindfulness and grounding exercises. Calming racing your body as your mind can be a challenge, but are important to practice. Over there There are several ways to do this, including trying out mindfulness exercises or grounding exercises that bring the mind into a mindful state of the present moment. To focus on your senses when you feel panic rising can help you stay present and live in the moment key antidote for anxiety.
  • Seek help from a professional. If your anxiety feels overwhelming, especially if it makes it difficult to participate in your regular life, there are numerous resources available to you and your family. This could be a school counselor or welfare practitioner, a psychologist or therapist or a doctor, or a combination of these.

How to Get Help for Teen Anxiety

Teenagers with anxiety do options resources and treatment available to them. ChristianaZorg has child psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, therapists and counselors available to meet with adolescents. We also have individual therapists embedded ChristianaCare Pediatric Associates and our 24/7 child care center ready and available to meet adolescents when requested on site.

If you already have a primary care doctor, they can refer you or your teen to a mental health doctor. Some schools have wellness centers with counselors or social workers who can help treat or refer adolescent anxiety patients.

Parents – remember that anxiety has genetic and environmental components, which means that behind some anxious teens is an anxious parent. You should also take care of your own needs: practice self-care and take rests and breaks when necessary for your mental health.

Dr. Markian Pazuniak is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with experience in treating conditions such as anxiety, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. He is currently accepting new patients. Visit Outpatient behavioral health services or call 302-320-2100 today to make an appointment.