Racing thoughts aren’t always a symptom of anxiety. However, many teens who have anxiety disorders experience them often. Racing thoughts can overwhelm a person suddenly when their anxiety is triggered. These thoughts can also sneak up on them when they’re trying to sleep or working on something unrelated. Racing thoughts can make it hard to focus and get in the way of daily functioning. Grounding, mindfulness exercises and stress management strategies are helpful for managing racing thoughts.  

In this article, we’ll share nine strategies to help your teen manage racing thoughts when anxiety takes over.

9 ways to manage racing thoughts when anxiety takes over 

It’s easy for people of any age to get caught up in distressing, anxious thoughts. It’s critical to learn how to recognize these thoughts for what they are and practice taking a step back. When teens learn how to distance themselves from their thoughts, they can give themselves space to choose how they’ll react. Building this mindful self-awareness takes daily practice. It’s also good to learn different skills for managing anxious thoughts in different situations.

The following strategies can help your teen manage racing thoughts when anxiety takes over:

• Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique.

This exercise may help your teen slow down and feel grounded in the moment. They can practice noticing five things they can see, four things they can hear, three things they can touch, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste. Getting the five senses in the right order doesn’t matter as much as engaging with what’s around them.

• Use controlled breathing exercises.

Your teen’s breath can be a strong anchor to keep them feeling present in their body. Deep belly breathing and exercises like box breathing can help them calm down, fast. To do box breathing, have them count to four as they inhale, hold their breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four and then wait four counts to begin again.

• Try progressive muscle relaxation.

Progressive muscle relaxation helps trigger deep relaxation in the whole body, one part at a time. Tensing muscles and then releasing them breaks through stress and tension. Your teen can start with their toes, squeezing them a couple of times, and then move up to their feet, calf muscles and thighs. Have them keep moving up until they get to the top of their head, and then give their whole body a squeeze and sink into a relaxed state.

• Write thoughts down to externalize them.

Writing thoughts down creates the feeling that your teen is getting them out of their head. When your teen is feeling anxious, give them a piece of paper or a notebook. Set a timer for five minutes and tell them to write whatever comes to them. Then check in when the five minutes is up and see how they feel. Sometimes the act of writing is a powerful grounding technique in itself.

• Challenge thoughts by questioning them.

Questioning anxious thoughts is a powerful way to uncover what’s true and what’s based in worry and fear. Coach your teen through questions such as, “How do I know that?” “What evidence do I have?” or “What else is true?” to put things in perspective.

• Engage in mindful movement or physical activity.

Again, your teen getting out of their head and into their body can help their anxious thoughts loosen their grip. Put on some music and tell them to sway to the rhythm, or simply shake and stomp together for a few minutes. Going for a mindful walk can help, too. These strategies may help if breathing exercises only seem to make their anxiety worse. Try following up with a self-soothing technique after getting some of the anxious energy out.

• Use guided meditation or mindfulness apps.

There are some great guided meditation videos and apps available for free. Try searching YouTube or Spotify for “guided meditations for anxiety.” Or look in your app store for free mindfulness apps. It might help to have a pair of headphones handy.

• Create a worry time to contain anxious thinking.

It can be hard for your teen to let anxious thoughts go when they’re worried about a specific situation or outcome. However, after a certain amount of time, this has diminishing returns. If your teen needs time to think it through, agree on a set amount of time for them to worry, about 10 to 15 minutes. Decide on how you’ll redirect them afterward; then set a timer.

• Practice acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques.

Sometimes anxious thoughts may not go away, and changing how they think about them can help your teen get through these moments. Try strategies inspired by acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Ask them to think of their anxious thoughts as bubbles floating away from them, or as an imaginary person sitting next to them. This way, they can visualize themselves resisting these thoughts and redirect their focus to something else.

Lightfully Teen helps young people learn to manage anxiety symptoms like racing thoughts

Racing thoughts are both an anxiety symptom and a natural reaction to stressful situations. Learning to manage racing thoughts gives teens back control over their minds and helps them feel more confident facing daily challenges. If your teen is experiencing racing thoughts, there are treatments that can help. Outpatient therapy can help with mild or occasional racing thoughts. You may also explore higher levels of treatment if your child’s symptoms are more severe.

At Lightfully Teen, our licensed clinicians provide whole-person-focused mental health treatment to young people who have racing thoughts as part of an anxiety condition. Our clinicians see our clients as people first, not a diagnosis, using evidence-based treatment to create lasting change. We focus on the basic core processes that promote mental wellness: thoughts, emotions, behaviors and relationships. 

Are you exploring treatment options for a teen who’s having racing thoughts? We can help. Contact us or reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team today.