Your happy-go-lucky child may have grown into an anxious teenager. It is something painful to see and more when you realize that the activities that he used to enjoy now avoids them. You may also notice that the fact that he goes to school is almost a miracle and that instead of driving him to his friends house you take him to the doctor because he has more and more mysterious stomach problems.

Teen anxiety is debilitating for your child, but it is also debilitating for the entire family. family. So, what do you think should be done so that this nightmare is over forever? How can you help your child to avoid adolescent anxiety? It is very important to start learning about the things not to do in order to stop doing them.

Teen anxiety can seem very similar among adolescents, but the way in which parents raise and dealing with that anxiety can make it very different for them, that is, teen anxiety can get better or worse depending on the parenting style that exists in the family. Here I want to talk to you about some common mistakes that many parents make without realizing it but that can contribute to the discomfort and anxiety of adolescents.

Overprotecting children

There are many parents who inadvertently generate anxiety in their children by overprotecting them. Parents can feel bad about how their children are doing and they don’t want them to have adolescent anxiety, so they try to do everything possible to make it go away so that their children don’t have to go through it… although trying to make it go away only makes them feel generate more.

For example, if children don’t want to go to school, instead of knowing what’s going on or helping them find the right strategies, they simply switch them to homeschooling. If they don’t want to sleep alone, they will give them a permanent place in bed, if they are afraid of doing new things they will never push them out of their comfort zone, etc.

Helping children with anxiety Being a teenager is a balancing act, meaning you don’t have to push your kids too aggressively, but you don’t have to remove all the obstacles in front of them, either. To boost his self-esteem and to find his worth, you must guide him with appropriate strategies so that he knows that he is capable of achieving it. You need to help your teen develop coping mechanisms and then encourage them to be able to deal with obstacles.

Forcing teens to face their fears too soon

The other side of the coin is that parents hate seeing their teens suffer from what they force them to face your fears, before time. Although the intention is good, the results will not be so good. These parents who force their children to face their fears most likely do not understand anxiety. Parents believe that confronting their anxiety will make them feel better.

Unfortunately, teen anxiety doesn’t work that way. If you force a teenager to do things that he is not ready to do, it will totally backfire. As I discussed above, managing teen anxiety is a balancing act.

Avoiding fears isn’t helpful, but pushing them can have a similar effect. Both circumstances can stop any progress, therefore, it is necessary to provide survival mechanisms for adolescents and then allow them to face small challenges… that will add up to great results.