Does your teenage kid get hyper tense whenever the results are due or he/she is about to appear for an exam? If that is the case then your child may be suffering from a mental state known as anxiety disorder. It is considered as a condition which is generally linked to behavioral patterns. This type of disorder can be of short or long term depending upon the intensity of the anxiety. However, with proper support, care and co-operation with the teenager such problems can be handled effectively.
Distraction from the phobia
Distracting one’s mind from the fears can help retain calmness and peace of mind. The best way to keep off these fears is sometimes possible by thinking less about them. If the teenager suffers from anxiety issues allow him/her to do whatever they love doing. This will help in keeping them occupied with some thing or the other which will in a way help in the distraction process. Be it listening to music, playing a guitar, reading a book or gardening, anything can work as a distraction. You can also talk to them about their accomplishments, success moments and so on. This will help in giving a boost to their mental condition and will improve their confidence level.
Sharing feelings of fear and anxiety with loved ones
Another way in which you can help out your teenage kid in dealing with the anxiety problem is by helping them to share their fears and anxieties with a loved one or someone whom they trust deeply. Sharing these fears will help in lessening their anxieties to some extent as they can discuss, get advise and change certain perceptions accordingly. This process of sharing can work wonders and sometimes be much more effective than the medicines and tablets prescribed. However, making the teens come out of their shell can be difficult and so you need to put in some extra effort. If they stay alone for a longer time it can have adverse effects. So you need to be alert that they are not left alone for a long time. By putting in a little effort you can help the teens get rid of their anxiety disorder more quickly.
Support groups for teens
One of the effective ways to help the teenager cope up with the anxiety problem is by finding suitable support groups for them. Experts suggests that by mixing with a similar group of their own age which we term as ‘support groups’ they come to realize and fight their anxieties better. These groups consists of people who are facing almost similar conditions or phobias. So the realization that they are not the only sufferers creeps in and being in such a comfortable zone helps them to open up and discuss their fears with their peer groups. They come out of the depression and loneliness easily and can talk about anything that they wish to. This often helps in providing a positive feeling leading to a quick recovery.
Treatment help from experts
The doctors believe that the symptoms and phobias of anxiety disorder differ from person to person. So does the treatment. A single therapy may not be effective for every kind of fear. For those anxiety and fears that have just started to grow it is better to push them back with meditative and natural treatments. Therapies at the starting stage is not necessary. Moreover these phobias may sometimes lead to panic attacks which can only be controlled through medicines. However the tolerance level of the patients for the medicines differ. So the doses of the anxiety relieving tablets should be prescribed to them only after proper consultation with the doctor.
Desensitization therapy
There are times when the mental state of the teenager can reach to an extent that can not be controlled by just talking to them. If the disorder becomes severe it is always better to opt for professional therapies like desensitization or similar ones instead of opting for anxiety relieving tablets.
The desensitization therapy is mainly designed keeping in mind the different behavioral patterns. It focuses on the fact that if there is anything is feared deeply it is better to learn to face it than avoiding it. This therapy induces an instinct in the teenager that helps them to cope up with the various anxiety disorder issues with ease. The therapy is normally carried out in a closed and secured environment at the beginning so as to avoid making them nervous. It is generally seen that by repeating the activity over a period of time the patient becomes accustomed to the events and thus overcomes the fear eventually.
CBT-Cognitive behavioral therapy
If the anxiety disorder issues become somewhat of a regular problem it is better to look out profession treatment like cognitive behavioral therapy. Some of the symptoms in the earlier stages can be sleeplessness, less intake of food, nervous breakdown etc. If you notice such behavioral patterns a quick and effective way out can be to opt for cognitive behavioral therapy( CBT). Through a proper completion of this therapy the teenagers develop some effective tools to cope up with their fears. It helps in recognizing their anxieties, the reasons and the various ways in which they can cope with it. The process also slows down their thought process so that they can stop to think and face their fears instead of avoiding it. The therapy slowly helps in breaking the fear cycle and getting them to a normal state. It can also be customized according to the need of an individual or a particular group.
EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR as it is popularly called is a very effective technique for treating patients with any kind of disorder. Anxiety disorder is an important arena that is covered through this therapy. It is a form of psychotherapy but does not follow the normal pattern of psychotherapy for treating patients. Unlike psychotherapy technique where there is a lot of talking, discussions and medications like tablets, here it is completely different. Here the eye movements of the patients are taken up as the primary tool through which they help the patients in dampening the memories of severe past or current fears. However it is a very professional treatment and should be conducted only under strict supervision of an expert.
Music therapy
This is again a new form of treatment which is very popular these days. In this therapy the patient is treated with soothing music to heal their depression or anxious condition. This therapy is mostly used to treat cancer patients, children having ADD and patients having stress problems. The music therapy is very effective in healing the patients mental condition and helping them fight the pain and depression in a better way. The teenagers often find solace in the music they love and that helps in easing their muscles and providing a calm composure. This calmness is very useful in slowing down many of the anxiety disorder problems.
Anxiety disorder workshops
The idea of anxiety disorder workshops is a new but an effective method of controlling anxiety disorder issues in recent times. There are a lot of regional and professional workshops conducted by doctors and hospitals from time to time. Participating in such workshops help in knowing the symptoms, myths, types and cure for any type of anxiety disorders. These workshops come very handy as the teenagers can have a one to one interaction or group interaction with the doctors and other participants. For example, there was a program designed ”Phobease” in Berkeley that came out with great results. It was a program developed by various doctors who had personal experiences in treating such disorders. In this program the doctors formed various group and conducted a therapy as a 10 week course. Such workshops also help in controlling the thought process of the teens by developing in them a sense of judgement, self confidence and clear thinking.
Meditation and yoga
Though it is regarded as a traditional technique but doctors suggest that some fears and anxieties can be effectively controlled through meditation and yoga. The spiritual sanctity and peace that one derives after a 15 minutes of yoga stretch or meditation can help in retaining calmness and peace of mind throughout the day. Any activity that can provide restlessness like working on the computer, video games and adventure trips should be cut down to the bare minimum. Focus should be given on healthy diet, consumption of lot of fruits and herbal supplements. Along with these make sure that the teenager gets a sound sleep, has proper diet schedules and carries out some daily exercises. All of these can can the teenager cope up with the anxiety problems in a better way.
Plan a fresh start!
The teenagers often get into the habit of getting into depression whenever any little thing goes wrong. It is important to make them understand that if something has gone wrong it can be taken up from the start again. It is not the end of the world and be it a little less marks in the exam or not qualifying for a basketball match or dance competition, it does not make much difference. There is always a next chance! You need to help them face the truths of life in order to help them face their fears better. Your support and affection can work wonders and can help them get out of their anxiety problems easily.
