Health Library

Anxiety is when you feel worried or scared. It's normal to have anxiety now and then. But for some teens, anxiety gets so strong that they have trouble coping with daily life.

Learning ways to manage anxiety and its causes, like stress, can help make your daily life better.

How does anxiety affect me?

Anxiety can cause health problems. These may include:

1. Headaches.
2. Body pain.
3. High blood pressure.
4. Sleep problems.
5. Mental health symptoms, like mood changes and panic attacks.

How to recognize anxiety and stress

Anxiety and stress are linked in many ways. For instance, having stress for a long time can lead to anxiety. But there are some differences.

 Stress:

1. Is caused by something hard happening around you.
2. Goes away after the hard thing is over.

Anxiety:

1. Can happen for no clear reason.
2. Can stay after a stressful event is over.

How to manage lifestyle changes

To help manage your anxiety and stress, you could:

a) Do things that help you feel calm, such as:

1. Meditating.
2. Relaxing your muscles.
3. Deep breathing.
4. Coloring or drawing.

b) Move your body. You could:

1. Take a short walk each day.
2. Do yoga.

c) Do things you like or that are fun for you, such as:

1. Reading.
2. Listening to music.

d) Spend time in nature or watch nature videos.

e) Try to change negative thoughts to positive ones.

f) Talk to friends, family, or a trusted adult who supports you.

Follow these instructions at home:

Lifestyle

1. Get enough good sleep each night. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day.
2. Eat healthy.
3. Drink enough water.

General instructions

Take your medicines only as told.

Ask your health care provider about treatments that may help. You may need:

a) Medicine.

b) Talk therapy with a counsellor.

c) Help learning coping skills, such as:

1. Meditation.
2. Deep breathing.