Questions about teenage anxiety
For parents, teachers and other professionals
Recently on my website/blog (where I am not adding new material other than small news items where necessary), I answered questions from readers (adult ones) about teenage anxiety. I thought it would be useful to put all the links here so you can go to whichever ones interest you.
Quick shout out to new readers arriving here in connection with today’s talk for parents at a school in Edinburgh - you are all very welcome! So far, everything here is free but I will soon be doing some paid-only posts for writers aspiring to be published.
Your questions and my answers
“I would love to know what you think is individual to teenage anxiety and how it differs from adult anxiety.” - My answer here.
“Do you think anxiety has always existed as much but it’s just talked about a lot more now?” - Here.
“What would be your top tip for a teenager with anxiety and the adults supporting them?” - Here.
“How can I manage anxiety during the holidays?” - Here.
+ 6. +7. “How can we deal with anxiety stemming from school (including friendships and exam pressure)?” This related to three questions that had a similar starting point and I answer them all here.
“Is increased anxiety still a result of Covid?” - Here.
“How can I tell when anxiety is an illness or not?” - Here.
Anxiety about anxiety? “A lot of the young people in my school are anxious about things that, before, would not have been an issue such as refusing to go to class because the person they sit beside isn’t in or it’s a cover teacher.” - Here.
“How can anxiety be a superpower?” - Here.
“Do older students talk about worries as openly as younger ones?” - Here.
“What are your thoughts on female anxieties about friendship groups and fitting in?” - Here.
Anxiety is such a big talking point at the moment and there is far too much anxiety about anxiety. As humans, reacting (as we must) to the world around us and sometimes inevitably feeling more or less relaxed and worry-free than other times, we will sometimes be anxious, which involves feeling very uncomfortable, physically and/or mentally. Each time that happens, we have to assess the situation and take control, acting appropriately in the face of the perceived threat. We dismiss it if the threat does not require our action and we act if it does. That’s being human and self-reliant.
Think about those times when you jump because a door slams. Your brain makes your body jump before the thinking part of your brain reassures you by saying, “No worries - that was just a door. No need to be alarmed.” And you calm down over the next few seconds.
The problem comes when:
There are too many banging doors, whether these are false alarms (things you didn’t need to react to) or actual causes for concern (in other words, you have a lot of anxiety to deal with.) Having a lot to deal with is likely to make you extra jumpy. I call this the worry chain effect.
Or when you don’t manage to talk your brain and body out of its alarm state and balance your stresses with times of pleasure, joy and relaxation.
That latter is the thing we should all be striving to do and that’s what my work is about. Some situations - such as wars and pandemics - make this extra difficult. Which means we just have to try even harder and help each other even more.
But, as I always say, together we can do this.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to comment publicly. So far everyone has been replying privately!