If your teen has an anxiety disorder, you’re not alone. A national survey of children’s health found that anxiety was the most common mental health condition affecting adolescents. Depending on how long your teen has been experiencing anxiety, you may have a lot of experience with your teen’s symptoms. Maybe your teen avoids social situations, shuts down before a test or worries constantly about things that might never happen. Maybe they feel anxious about their job or job prospects. While you likely want to help, you might not know how to offer your support.

The good news is that, by caring enough to look for new ways to support your teen, you’re already on the right track. With the right tools and support, you can become one of your teen’s strongest sources of comfort and strength.

How to help a teenager with an anxiety disorder: 6 expert-recommended methods

• Stay calm and steady — Anxiety can sometimes feel contagious. When your teen worries, you might start to feel more anxious too. In these moments, one of the most helpful things you can do is stay grounded. Your calm energy can signal to your teen that they are safe, and that you can handle their emotions together. If you’re feeling anxious during a conversation about your teen’s mental health, take a deep breath before talking. Use a calm, even tone. Offer reassurance.
• Avoid saying “calm down” — When someone’s anxiety is spiraling, being told to “just calm down” often makes it worse. Your teen probably wants to calm down. They likely don’t have the tools to do so at the moment. Telling someone with anxiety to calm down is similar to telling someone with a physical illness to just get better. It’s not necessarily productive, and it can make the person you’re talking to feel worse about themselves. Instead, try to offer practical support and validation. For example, you can say, “I see you’re feeling anxious. Can we try breathing together for a minute?” This approach gives your teen an opportunity to try calming down without putting them down or telling them what to do.
• Keep the pressure low — Teens with anxiety are already under a lot of pressure. Even well-meaning encouragement like “Just try harder” or “Don’t worry so much” can add stress. You can help reduce your teen’s stress by focusing on effort over outcome. For example, if your teen has social anxiety, you can say: “I’m proud of you for calling your friend today, even though it was hard.” After a setback, make sure to let your teen know that it’s OK if things don’t go perfectly. Setbacks happen. As long as your teen is trying to improve their anxiety, they’re doing well. Gentle, supportive comments and actions can help build your teen’s self-confidence as they navigate their anxiety symptoms.
• Practice coping skills — Grounding techniques and coping tools are essential to anxiety management. Helping your teen find coping skills that work for them can be key to helping them stay in control of their symptoms. For best results, practice coping skills when your teen is not in crisis. This can make those skills easier to use during tough moments. Helpful techniques you could try out range from breathing exercises to movement breaks. You can learn coping skills alongside your teen. This shows that you want to learn with them and support them each step of the way.
• Empathize with your teen — To help your teen, it’s important to understand what they’re going through. Anxiety goes beyond feeling nervous or a bit afraid. It’s a physical and emotional reaction to thoughts and events that can be intense and unpredictable. Anxiety can cause racing thoughts and an intense sense of doom. It can come with physical symptoms like a rapid heartbeat, sweating and dizziness. It might make your teen have trouble concentrating on school or sleeping at night. Understanding the key symptoms of anxiety in teens can help you relate to your child and offer deeper support.
• Know when to get extra help — Sometimes teens need more mental health support than family members can provide. This isn’t a sign of failure. It just means that your teen may benefit from professional help. Treatment programs such as a Teen Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) can offer structured support tailored to your teen’s mental health needs.

Whether you’re just starting to explore anxiety treatment for your teen or you’re looking for a more intensive option after a lack of improvement with regular outpatient psychotherapy, Lightfully Teen is here to help. Our Precision Care Model centers around evidence-based, clearly defined, compassionate and whole-person-centered care. With our help, your teen can start working to address their anxiety disorder symptoms with comprehensive support and guidance.

Change is possible. If your teen needs professional support managing their anxiety disorder, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, helping your teen work toward the fullest, brightest version of themselves.