Anxiety in teens can be completely normal. However, when your teen’s anxiety is so great that they cannot think rationally, it is time to seek help. Anxiety disorders are a widespread mental health issue. At Destinations for Teens, our anxiety treatment program will support adolescents in learning how to manage their anxiety to navigate life effectively.
What Are the Signs and Causes of Anxiety In Teens?
Anxiety is a normal emotion. However, when your teen exhibits the following signs of anxiety, it is time to act:
- Feeling worried or afraid without reason.
- Becoming anxious about daily routine events or activities.
- Consistently checking to make sure that tasks are done correctly
- Panicking, to the extent that a teen cannot perform in certain situations, such as participating in an activity or taking an exam.
There are many causes of anxiety, which are outlined below. These causes typically revolve around feeling unsure of oneself and needing additional support to navigate life.
What Causes Anxiety?
If your teen exhibits signs of anxiety and worry that keep them from being active and having fun, it is time to seek help. Here are ten reasons that teens often feel anxiety and fear. 1. Need To Achieve Many teens often feel stressed about meeting the expectations they believe they need to achieve. For some, this might mean excelling in school to get a college scholarship while for others, it might mean becoming a member of an athletic team. 2. Sleep Deprivation When teens don’t have time to decompress and relax, this can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to further anxiety. When it is hard for teens to sleep, it intensifies their worry and creates a cycle that is hard to break. 3. Hormonal Changes Many physical changes mark adolescence. As teens’ hormone production develops, their emotional state will change. At times, teens may appear worried, angry, or even depressed for no reason because they have not developed the maturity to navigate their emotions and hormonal changes effectively. 4. Brain Development Causes Anxiety Although a teen’s body often shows signs of adulthood, their brains do not. A person’s brain does not fully develop until they have reached their early to mid-twenties. As a result, there are times when teens are doing activities and responsibilities that they genuinely do not understand. This leads to worry and frustration. The solution: talk to your teen and provide guidance. 5. Relationship with Parents Despite teen rebellion, teens also want their parents to be proud of them. It can be frustrating for teens and parents, creating a sense of anxiety for both parties. 6. Peer Pressure The need to fit in and feel validated can also cause anxiety in teens. Whether it is the pressure to be competitive in school or try new things, this can present anxiety for teens. 7. Using Drugs and Alcohol If a teen is actively using drugs or alcohol, this can also increase their anxiety. The need to get high often presents teens with a substance use disorder with a sense of anxiety and panic. 8. Depression One of the most significant causes of anxiety in teens is depression. Both are mental health disorders that can overlap. If your teen exhibits feelings of isolation, sadness, or despair for more than two weeks, reach out for professional help. 9. Technology Devices, social media, and gaming are causes of anxiety in teens. Teens may spend a lot of time online worried about their appearance and fitting in and some can even be victims of cyberbullying. 10. Unhealthy Food Choices Eating fatty foods filled with sugar can harm a teen’s emotional state. Excess sugar can cause bodily systems to increase anxiety.
Learn What Causes Anxiety at Destinations for Teens
There are many reasons that teens need support in dealing with their anxiety. As adults, we are responsible for finding remedies that will empower teens to feel confident in their abilities to become healthy adults. At Destinations For Teens, our anxiety treatment program gets to the heart of the causes of anxiety. We work with young adults in various ways to help them realize their greatest potential and work through their mental health disorders. Contact us at 877.466.0620 to learn how our anxiety treatment program can help your teen.