Helpful Coping Skills for Teen Anxiety

Coping skills for teen anxiety are strategies that help this age group deal with their overwhelming thoughts and emotions. They're different from coping skills used by kids, which often involve facing fears like the dark or monsters, and from those used by adults, which involve handling a wider range of life situations.

The Helpful Coping Skills for Teen Anxiety handout offers easy-to-implement strategies for dealing with the ups and downs during teenage years. It offers different coping skills based on the situations they may be dealing with at the moment. These include relaxation, grounding, distraction, movement, thinking, creative outlets, good health habits, and self-care skills.

Using this handout can help teens control their emotions and actions better, making it less likely for them to use harmful coping methods like substance abuse. For example, when dealing with a lot of stress from upcoming exams, a teen might decide to take a break and rest after studying instead of ignoring the problem and turning to partying as a way to cope.

To incorporate these coping skills into their daily routine, teens can set a reminder where they designate a specific time each day for a quick review of the handout. For easier implementation of these coping strategies, they can use this handout with the Anxiety Coping Statements handout to overcome negative thoughts.

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References:

1. Barrow, J. C. (1982). Coping-skills training: A brief therapy approach for students with evaluative anxiety. Journal of American College Health Association, 30(6), 269-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.1982.9938906
2. Lusk, P., & Melnyk, B. M. (2012). COPE for depressed and anxious teens: A brief cognitive‐behavioral skills building intervention to increase access to timely, evidence‐based treatment. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 26(1), 23-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcap.12017
3. Orson, C. N., & Larson, R. W. (2020). Helping teens overcome anxiety episodes in project work: The power of reframing. Journal of Adolescent Research, 36(2), 127-153. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558420913480