4 Ways to Help Your Teen Cope with Mental Health Struggles

Mental health is an important factor for any child, especially teenagers. You were once a teenager, so you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I get that sometimes it can be hard to understand what your child is going through or what is causing their anxiety, be it in school, with friends, or with a project they’re working on, but as a parent and role model, you have to show concise efforts that you care.

“Care” in the sense that you know their struggles, you’ve been there before, and you can guide them if they let you. Though you may not be able to eliminate their fears and worries completely, here are four ways you can help them cope.

Listen Without Judgment

When your teen comes to you trying to explain their irrational fears and worries, it can be tempting to downplay the problem.

Comments like “There’s nothing to be afraid of!” or “That’s silly; everything will be fine!” may seem reassuring, but they often have the opposite effect.

Well-meaning as the intention is, such remarks can make an anxious teen feel embarrassed, misunderstood, and even more nervous.

So, the first step in helping your child is to listen to their complaints without judgment. This means:

• Being fully present by stopping what you’re doing and giving them your undivided attention.
• Allowing them to vent their worries without interruption
• Responding with validation by saying things like “I understand why you feel that way” or “It makes sense you’d be concerned about that.”
• Ask open-ended questions to better understand where their anxiety is coming from.

Gradually, they will open up to you because they can see that you’re actively listening and validating their feelings instead of judging them. This paves the way for a thoughtful discussion about constructive ways to manage their anxiety moving forward.

Encourage Positive Self-Talk

Positive self-talk and affirmations have been recorded to help improve mood and help people (including teens) struggling with mental health issues. According to a study, positive self-talk can prove successful in helping a depressed or anxious person broaden their overall perspective and reduce the effect of their negative emotions.

This is why you must encourage your child to practice positive affirmations whenever they’re distressed or anxious. It will clear their mind and help them relax and regain focus.

For example, if your teen is anxious about an upcoming class presentation and keeps saying, “I’m going to mess up and embarrass myself in front of everyone,” encourage them to replace these sorts of thoughts with something like, “I know my stuff and my friends will still like me, even if I make a mistake.”

Doing so flips their inner narrative from unhelpful to hopeful. Rather than intensifying anxious feelings, positive self-talk can become a vital tool for soothing anxiety’s physical symptoms and quieting worried thoughts.

Teach Coping Techniques

Equipping your teen with concrete coping techniques provides them with invaluable tools to confront anxiety when you’re not there to help them.

There will be scenarios when unexpected events turn up that may make them tense. These coping methods will guide them at these moments and ensure they don’t freak out or act out of control.

So, what are these helpful coping strategies you can teach them? There are many, to be fair, but the major methods are how to leverage breathing, mindfulness, and movement to calm their minds, sharpen focus, and intentionally regulate emotions like anxiety.

Schedule time to browse through the dozens of free learning videos on YouTube, then select the ones that have great reviews and use these videos to train your teen on how to properly execute deep breathing exercises, meditate to increase present-moment awareness and perform simple movements like stretching or walking to relieve tension.

Also, role-play various stressful scenarios with them and guide them to deploy the right coping mechanisms for that situation.

With consistent practice of these easy yet potent techniques, your teen will be well-equipped to handle their anxiety even when you’re not physically present. The coping skills become part of their mental and emotional toolkit, enabling them to navigate challenges confidently.

Know When to Seek Professional Help

As involved as you may be in supporting your child’s coping journey, their anxiety may require more than positive affirmations or coping methods; it may need a professional’s help and guidance.

While it’s ideal to consult your teen’s school counsellors for help, as they can provide excellent guidance, if you notice that the mental health issue your child is battling with is severe and you’re seeing signs of significant life interference, declining grades, withdrawn social behaviour, or comments about hurting themselves, then it may be better to pursue private counselling immediately.

There are many adolescent mental health residential treatment centers that can provide intensive therapy and support for your child. Seek recommendations from your primary care provider or check out accredited facilities in your area.

Depending on your chosen facility, they may offer individual therapy, group therapy, medication management, and educational support to help your child improve.

Wrapping Up

Raising a teen is no easy task; you find them mostly engulfed in their world, and the only way to draw them closer, especially when they’re going through mental health struggles, is to see things from their perspective and know the right strategies to use in helping them.

These tips here are to guide you so you know how to help them better. So, leverage them as best as you can. Good luck!