Sep 29

How to Deal with Anxiety As a Teenager

Phychology of a teenager. Add comments
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    Decide which people and places make you feel anxious. People who intimidate, insult, or just make you feel awful are usually the underlying causes, as well as the places where it happens.
     
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    Go to places where you usually become anxious and try to become reacquainted with the place.
     
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    Public spaces. – Most people often find themselves getting a lot more worked up and anxious in situations they feel out of control or enclosed in. This can happen in places such as buses, busy shops, or at gigs. The most important thing to remember is that you are not going to be there in that situation forever. Just keep saying or thinking, " I'll see how I feel in five minutes or at the next stop." before escaping from the situation. Anxiety often makes people feel sick or faint, but always remember you will never actually throw up or faint so try and put that to the back of your mind. Most people, whether it be doctors or parents, often try to use breathing techniques, which in some cases rarely work. However, the best breathing technique to use is breathing in slowly through your nose and out you mouth. Rubbing your stomach from top to bottom slowly will help calm it down. Remember that there is usually a chance in these situations to leave to calm yourself down; if you start feeling the need to get of the bus, leave the store, etc. then it is no big deal; try again in a couple minutes. You could also try taking five minutes and saying your going to the toilet if you feel you only need a couple of minutes to calm down. Try to remember a bottle of water which may help you feel less shaky.
     
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    Tell someone. – If you make plans to go shopping with a friend or out for tea but are worried you will need to leave or will have an anxiety attack, try and tell a friend before hand. Close friends will usually be supportive of you. You should never cancel plans in fear of anxiety. The more you expose yourself to uncomfortable situations, the more comfortable you feel. You wouldn't usually feel anxious about going on your computer or walking around your garden because you're used to these things. If you are doing something that is out of your comfort zone, try telling a parent or guardian about it and see if they could pick you up or give you extra bus fares. Usually just the comfort of having a back up plan can help you feel calmer.
     
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    Have a distraction! If you are a music lover, always remember your iPod or mp3 player. If you are in an anxious situation, put in your earphones and try to distract yourself in the music. If you have games on your phone, a Nintendo, etc. then do the same and distract your self until you feel calmer. Another good idea is carrying around "distraction cards" which may sound stupid but do actually work. Write riddles, puzzles, jokes, memories, or anything you think will distract yourself from it. This isn't recommended for those trying to fix their anxiety altogether since you're avoiding the problem rather than fixing it.
     
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    Relax. When you get back from a particularly stressful day at school or an embarrassing encounter with someone, don't spend the rest of the day cursing yourself for what you said or did (or what you didn't say and do). Make a favorite food of yours, read a book, take a nap- whatever you can do to take your mind off of it.
     
     



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