Anxiety in Teens and How Journaling Can Help

While many people talk about anxiety for adults, teenagers and young adults are often 
overlooked. Teenagers are going through a lot of changes at the same time, and 
anxiety can run rampant without even realizing what it is. It is essential that teens get 
the same support and help for their anxiety as other adults, which journaling can help a 
lot with.


A Rise in Anxiety Among Teenagers and Young Adults

It is no surprise that teenagers are struggling more with anxiety these days. The 
National Institutes of Health reported that approximately 1 in 3 teens are dealing with 
anxiety. There has been speculation about many causes of the rise in anxiety among 
teenagers and adolescents. Social media and the over-consumption of technology 
comes up quite often, as well as just the state of affairs teenagers are dealing with 
these days.


Journal to the Rescue? 

There are a wide range of ways to deal with anxiety, not just for teens but people of all 
ages. From therapy to medications, just about every option is available. But if you are 
looking for a small place to start, journaling is a great option. 

When it comes to anxiety, no one size fits all. Different people find different remedies to 
help them the best, though most use multiple anxiety-relief strategies. Journaling is 
something many anxiety sufferers have benefited from. 

It can help give them a place to release the burden, to identify what is causing their 
anxiety, and to use for various therapy methods. 


Start With What’s Really Going on

A good way for teens to use journaling for their anxiety is to begin just writing how they 
feel and what’s going on. This includes anything causing these emotions, what panic 
attacks are like, and trying to identify what is triggering the anxious thoughts.

Allow your teens to just write it all out, as much and as often as they need to. 
Encourage them to write how they are feeling and what they are thinking when they 
have a lot of anxiety or stress, including after a panic attack is over. This is going to help 
tremendously to identify anxiety triggers.


Reframe Your Thoughts

The next part of journaling for anxiety is for teens to start reframing any anxious or 
negative thoughts they might have. While they do not need to turn every negative 
thought into a positive one, it helps to see what is causing their anxiety, then try to 
reason with themselves. What is the worst that could happen? Are their fears planted in 
reality, or just their own minds turning it into something far worse?

