5 Active Ways to Support a Teen with Anxiety

If you live with or care about a young person suffering from anxiety disorder, you are not alone.

Doctors and therapists provide valuable protocols and strategies to help, but what are some simple ways to make a difference each day? When my teen was struggling, I asked her to explain what was bothering her in an effort to help. Often, it made things worse. I didn't realize that modeling healthy practices would ultimately make the most impact.

I hope these ideas provide opportunities for growth and strengthen your relationships.

Eat Together

Prepare a meal high in protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acid. Feed the brain and the soul. Remind each other to hydrate. Enjoy a handful of nuts or an afternoon cup of chamomile tea. Indulge in a piece of dark chocolate. Cooking together? All the better. Heal with healthy food. Humans crave support and connection. Mental Health America is a non-profit “dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and promoting the overall mental health of all.” MHA supports the notion that those with strong social connections are happier, healthier and live longer. Meal time can be a great opportunity to strengthen those social connections with those you love most.

Not sure what to make? Here are our recommended cookbooks:

• Healthyish: A Cookbook with Seriously Satisfying, Truly Simple, Good-For-You (but not too Good-For-You) Recipes for Real Life

• Tasty Every Day: All of the Flavor, None of the Fuss (An Official Tasty Cookbook)

• The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100

• The Healthy Family Cookbook: 100 Fast and Easy Recipes for the Whole Family

Dance It Out

Need a 30-Second Dance Party?

Health It’s Persona Playlists: 30-Second Dance Party

All exercise is beneficial, but there is something special about putting on your favorite music and dancing together when no one is watching. Busting a move to a few songs can help someone get out of their heads and is a fun way to get you both up and moving. Merideth Grey understood the need for a 30-second dance party, and The Hip Team uses this strategy during the workday when we need a productivity break, in our personal lives when supporting friends and quite often in the kitchen when making dinner to help with family-time transition.

Make Time

Focus on family time. Hang out with friends. Get out of the house. Time with the people you love can minimize time spent on thoughts that cause anxiety. Take your teen to the bookstore, mall or movies. Play a game. Walk through town. Help a neighbor. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are genuine and present. Need more ideas? Here is a list of 50 Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Teenager. In our Anxiety Series, psychiatric nurse Tracy Eisen shares how when she felt anxious as a teen she and her mom would walk the big circle around their condo complex. Being outside with a safe person and getting those feelings out through exercise made a big impact. If you are an adult that practices mindfulness regularly, get your teen involved - make time to meditate together, make a gratitude list, get playful. Remind your teen that you were young once. Consider bundling up to go sledding or have a water balloon fight. You might have a blast finding your inner child. For more, listen to one of our most popular interviews from our anxiety series with Student Success Coach Michael Miller about morning rituals and gratitude.

Laugh Together

Laughter truly is the best medicine. It can stimulate your heart and lungs, improve your immune system AND your mood. Tell a joke, listen to a comedy station or podcast, watch a sitcom, remember a funny incident. Laughter activates the brain's pleasure center and certainly connects us. The Mayo Clinic suggests putting funny photos or comic strips in your workstation or place you spend the most time. They also suggest laughing at yourself or your situation. In the Health: It’s Personal episode Car Therapy with Henry, high school senior, Henry, explains the benefits of laughing about circumstances with friends. “When you're hanging out with friends, just sitting in a simple spot like a car, just talking about something that happened, you're not in an open environment where everyone can hear what you're saying. You feel safer because you can just explain it. You can just sit down and laugh about it, make a joke about it. It kind of relieves the pressure a little bit.” Laughing with friends or family can alleviate stress and forage relationships. Win, win.

Heard of Laugh Yoga? Turns out simulated laughter can have the same health benefits. Who knew?!

Exercise Together

Take a class, walk the dog, throw a ball, run, stretch, or hike together. Like laughter, exercise produces endorphins in the brain to enhance mood. Scientists believe that just ten minutes of exercise can elevate mood. Someone telling you to exercise can feel quite different than someone asking you to join them. In fact, people who work out together are often more motivated and have more fun. Grab the person you love and find a way to move your body!

Tired of the same old routine? Jazz up your fitness program with these HIP TEAM suggestions.

• Morgan is obsessed with Obe Live and On-Demand Fitness Classes

• Karte travels the world right from her treadmill with iFit trainers

• McKenna strengthens her entire body with this low-impact workout from Ballet Beautiful

• Sean has been merging a love for video games with some great HIIT workouts on Ring Fit Adventure

Looking for some free ways to workout together? Try this list!