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Teen Anxiety | Reasons and Remedies

Nowadays, more teenagers are facing anxiety issues rather than any other age group. The majority of the reasons are related to their transitional period from adolescence to teenage. Then teens start having their mood swings and feeling pressured. It is essential to know that all teens experience anxiety at times. It is, in fact, a normal stress response, and sometimes it helps teens deal with tense or devastating situations. Things like public speaking, final exams, significant athletic competitions, or even going out on a date might cause feelings of uneasiness among teens. Anxiety attacks may include elevating a heartbeat to the intense urge of crying-, depends upon the severity of the situation. However, for some teens, these episodic restless events might become a lifelong disability that later affects the relationship and the social order of their lives. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 25% of 13- to 18-year-olds have an anxiety disorder, and just under 6% have a severe anxiety disorder.

Also Read | Why does Child’s Mood Start Swing after ten years? Causes and Preventive Measures

How to see if you have anxiety?

Students come to me most of the time and share their gruesome fears and fatigue experiences that affect their social and academic lives. Given that teenagers experience a handful of physical and emotional changes while they grow. Therefore, it is challenging to spot anxiety disorders in that age transition. Most of the time, what we, parents and teachers, consider an anxiety disorder, seems like everyday teen struggles due to hormonal disbalance. However, still, there are some signs and symptoms through which we can spot the anxiety issues in a particular kid.

 Emotional and Physical Fluctuations

Although some concerned teens express feelings of pervasive worry, others experience elusive emotional changes such as:

• Feeling ‘keyed up’ or agitated
• Feeling edgy
• Irritability
• Difficulty in focussing any situation or exams
• Inexplicable outbursts

It is significant for parents to observe, if their once socially active kid suddenly avoids their favourite activities or stops making plans with their friends, it means their kid might having anxiety issues. Following some of the instances where you might notice anxiety in your child.

• Avoiding social interactions with family and friends
• Avoiding extracurricular activities
• Spending long hours alone
• Physical changes

It is essential to pay attention to the patterns of change which occurs in teens. A couple of headaches here and there shouldn’t be a cause for concern. However, frequent headaches are a matter of concern.

• Frequent headaches, including migraines
• Gastrointestinal problems (Frequent Stomach Disturb)
• Unexplained aches and pains
• Excessive exhaustion
• Feeling not well with no apparent medical cause
• Eating disorders.
• Sleep disturbance

Even though anxiety may affect everything from sleeping habits to eating, poor academic performance can also result from untreated pressure. School avoidance missed days due to anxiety-related ailment and persistent worry can make it difficult for anxious teens to keep up with their workload.

However, not every teen experiences anxiety or excessive panic attacks; some experience mild fright symptoms without enduring a complete panic attack. Following are the signs which are common among people with anxiety disorders:

• Hasty heartbeat
• Sweating and trembling
• Dizziness
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain
• Feeling like they’re dying
• Coldness or tingling in arms and legs

Parents and teachers, if your kid showed any of the above symptoms or struggling to interact with friends and other family relationships, it means they are having mild anxiety issues. The best remedies are to keep track of their whereabouts and become their helping hand – council them and help them overcome their social or academic problems without giving any hard time to them due to bad academic performances. Other options may include an evaluation from a licensed mental health practitioner. Anxiety or nervousness is curable, and most teens can learn to cope with and manage their stress independently.