7 Ways To Help Your Teen Cope with Social Anxiety
Due to COVID-19 and the rise of technology, socializing for teens has become more complicated. COVID-19 negatively impacted many teens’ social development and their ability to learn important social skills. Additionally, so much of today’s socialization and communication now takes place online instead of face-to-face. These societal changes have caused a rapid increase in social anxiety among young people. As a result of these delays in social development, a number of teens feel anxious and uncomfortable when it comes to socializing with others. Typically people who experience social anxiety are afraid of being judged, embarrassed, or humiliated by others. If your teen is experiencing social anxiety they might be avoiding social situations, have difficulty communicating their thoughts to others, find it challenging to make appropriate eye contact, and may experience their mind going blank during social interactions.
As a parent/caregiver, you may be wondering what you can do to help your teen overcome social anxiety. Below we’ve included a list of 6 practical techniques and tools you can implement with your teen at home:
1. Practice mindfulness and grounding techniques
Mindfulness and grounding techniques can help your teen slow down and connect to the present moment. This can look like having your teen focus on their 5 senses when they’re in social settings such as noticing what they can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. This grounding technique can help your teen feel more connected to their body and learn how to regulate their emotions. You can also have them practice connecting to their senses at home and before they attend social events.
2. Take deep breaths
Deep breathing is a great way to help your teen reduce their heart rate and feel a sense of calm in their body. Taking deep breaths helps to soothe your teen’s nervous system and deactivate the fight-or-flight system (the system in the body that gets activated when your teen feels anxious). We encourage you to practice deep breathing with your teen on a daily basis and use meditation apps like Headspace or Calm to practice breathwork with your teen.
3. Engage in exercise
Exercising helps to release endorphins and dopamine which can help combat feelings of anxiety. We recommend your teen engage in some form of exercise on a regular basis; that can look like going for a walk or run, playing a sport, going for a bike ride, dancing, and more!
4. Eat a healthy and balanced diet
What we eat can impact how we feel. Food is a medicine that helps our minds and bodies function properly. Eating foods that are good for our guts can help to reduce inflammation that may cause increased anxiety symptoms. Additionally, your teen can also engage in mindful eating practices. Mindful eating involves slowing down and noticing all the different colors, textures, sizes, and sensations of the food you’re eating.
5. Focus on your teen’s strengths
You can help your teen identify their strengths and come up with examples of times when they enjoyed socializing with others. It’s also important to celebrate your teen’s small wins and the small steps they take toward socializing with others. Additionally, you can also help your child reframe their negative thoughts about themselves and their relationships. Instead of focusing on their feelings of discomfort or insecurity they can replace those negative thoughts with positive ones about themselves and their relationships. For example:
Negative thought: “I am weird and nobody likes me.”
Positive and more balanced thought:“ I have people in my life who appreciate me for who I am and they enjoy being around me.”
6. Encourage your teen to participate in at least one social event or extracurricular activity per month
It can be tempting to let your teen continue avoiding social situations, but avoidance and isolation can actually negatively impact their mental health in the long run. You can gently push your teen out of their comfort zone and help them strengthen their social skills by having them participate in at least one social event or extracurricular activity such as sports, dance, band, theatre, clubs, volunteering, game night, etc.
7. Model healthy communication skills
Teens learn a lot of their life skills and behaviors from watching their caregivers. It’s important for you as their parent/caregiver to model healthy communication skills such as active listening, using “I” statements, reflecting and summarizing, validating feelings, and asking open-ended questions.
Begin Teen Counseling in Honolulu, HI
Our team is happy to offer support in cultivating your teen’s social skills. We are happy to offer these services in person in Hawai’i and via online therapy in North Carolina. If you are ready to start your therapy journey with Milk & Honey Therapy, please follow these simple steps:
Meet with a caring therapist
Start feeling more comfortable in social situations!
Other Services Offered with Milk and Honey Therapy
Our team is happy to offer a variety of services in addition to teen counsleing. We also offer services to support kids, and young adults which include PTSD and trauma treatment, depression treatment, and play therapy. Other mental health services offered include anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, faith-based therapy, ADHD treatment, and therapy for athletes. We offer in-person therapy in Honolulu, HI, and online therapy in North Carolina. We look forward to working with you, so contact us today!
