A Guide for Teenagers Coping with Anxiety and Change

From The Berry Collective Psychologist, Dr. Stacey Berry

Whether you are a teenager yourself or the parent of a teenager, you and your family might be going through a stressful and tense time. But maybe you are not completely sure why this time of life so stressful?

In a nutshell, this stress and angst occurs because the development that is going on during adolescence is the most rapid development of the whole human lifespan. Pretty crazy huh? 

  1. The brain itself is changing, specifically in the Emotion Centre and the Planning Centre (the Limbic System and the Frontal Lobe).

  2. The body is changing, both physically and hormonally.

  3. The person is changing on a psychosocial level. During adolescence a young person goes through individuation, beginning to establish their identity as a person separate to their parents.

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So how can a young person thrive during a time of so much change and anxiety?

 
People

People.

Confide in your people, lean on them. When you have a disagreement, own your side and repair it. Unresolved conflict makes things worse.

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Learn.

Changes are happening all over. Sometimes you’ll breeze through and sometimes you’ll mess up. That’s fine. Forgive yourself, learn, and take the new stuff along for the ride.

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Express.

Do what helps you make sense of the world. Dance, drum, write, sing, paint. This will help you evolve. When you have a stronger sense of who you are, anxiety tends to subside.

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Move.

We have some awesome self-calming mechanisms built-in to our bodies and they’re activated by movement. So …. Move Your Body, however you like.

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Routines.

Sleep between 10 pm and 7 am and eat regularly. Sleep and nutrition are the foundations of your mental health – boring but true.

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Body/Mind.

Let your mind help your body and your body help your mind. Mindful breathing and relaxation strategies allow your body and mind to calm simultaneously.

 

Get Help Now!

Here at Berry Collective Psychology, we have a dedicated team that can help support you on your journey of healing and recovery.

 
 

We can help.

Here at Berry Collective Psychology, we have a dedicated team that can help support you on your journey of healing and recovery.