It is important to teach teens about how anxiety works and our body’s fight or flight response. Once adolescents can understand the course of anxiety, they can start to work on reducing it.

It is helpful to recognize the somatic symptoms that accompany teen anxiety- these are our clues that anxiety is coming. For instance, one teenager might have sweaty palms when the anxiety is starting. Understanding that “when my palms get sweaty, it means I am feeling anxious” can be an important step in slowing down the process of teen anxiety.

Find activities that teens can engage in once the anxiety begins. For instance, listening to music, exercising, cooking or drawing can be helpful.

Breathing exercises can also be very helpful to manage anxious feelings in the moment. Try “4 square breathing”: breathe in for 4 counts, hold it for 4 counts and breathe out for 4 counts. Doing this for 3- 5 minutes can help your body start to relax. It is also helpful to use imagery of a calm, relaxing place that can be recalled during stressful times.

Often, teen anxiety gets out of control because they can have thoughts like “I shouldn’t feel anxious about this.” By making themselves feel bad or wrong for having anxiety, teens can feel worse. Normalizing the fear as something other people experience and something normal and understandable, can really help teenagers feel supported.

Identify the negative and critical things teens believe about themselves. When teens are aware of their negative self-talk, begin to challenge their misinterpretations. For instance, an adolescent may be consumed with worry about a test they “failed.” A few questions answered incorrectly does not usually mean a failed test, but it is possible that teens may catastrophize when they are overwhelmed and anxious.

Envisioning a more confident and relaxed version of yourself is a great exercise for teens to see how they want themselves to feel. Teens can practice imagining what it looks like when they are confident and relaxed. What would they be doing and how would they feel?

Mindfulness is just about being aware and focusing on the present moment. Teens can use mindfulness practices to slow down and also to reduce judgement and self-criticism of their thoughts. Many of us, and especially adolescents, have a tendency to negatively judge our thoughts when we have them. We say things like, “I shouldn’t think like that” or “I shouldn’t feel this way.” Mindfulness teaches us just to notice; we are simply observers of our thoughts and feelings and we don’t attach any negative judgement.