What Anxiety Looks Like in Teenagers
Anxiety is a normal part of growing up. Adolescents experience new situations and face academic pressure, changing relationships, increasing independence, and uncertainty about the future. Some anxiety can even be helpful: it can motivate us to prepare for tests, think through decisions, and pay attention to potential risks. Some amount of stress even helps us hold priorities and perform at our best. But when anxiety and stress become persistent, teens may need extra support to learn how to manage their experiences.
Anxiety does not always look like fear and worry. In teenagers, it can show up in all manner of emotional, behavioral, physical and cognitive symptoms. Some examples of anxious symptoms in teenagers:
seeking reassurance frequently or becoming distressed without reassurance
difficulty making decisions or feeling paralyzed by choice
becoming overwhelmed by seemingly small situations
spending significant amounts of time or energy on uncomfortable situations (like presenting in class, attending social events, sleeping away from home, or trying new activities)
Anxiety can also look like the opposite: irritability and anger. Teens with chronic worry might have a shorter fuse, become easily frustrated, or seem unusually reactive. Parents sometimes interpret this as defiance or “just being moody,” when anxiety might actually be contributing to the behavior. Other teens can respond to anxiety by withdrawing, becoming quieter, or spending more time alone.
Physical Symptoms are another common aspect of anxiety. Think of your teen who’s anxious about a test waking up and saying they have a headache or stomachache. They might have muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, changes in appetite, rapid heart rate, or feelings of being shaky, jittery, or “on edge.” Physical symptoms can be particularly confusing when a teen doesn’t recognize that anxiety is contributing to how they feel. Parents might view physical symptoms or reported illness as avoidant behavior (i.e., faking sick to get out of going to school), which might sometimes be the case, but it’s worth noting that the teen may actually be feeling these symptoms as an effect of anxiety.
Thinking and functioning can also be affected by anxiety in teens. They may struggle to concentrate because their attention is consumed by worry. Perfectionistic teens may become preoccupied with making mistakes or meeting impossibly high standards. Others might procrastinate or avoid overwhelming tasks. Over time, anxiety can interfere with school performance, friendships, family relationships, extracurriculars, sleep and overall quality of life.
Not every instance of worry or avoidance relates directly to an anxiety disorder. Clinically significant anxiety is generally characterized by symptoms that are persistent, disproportionate to a given situation, difficult to control, and causing meaningful distress or impairment.
If you’ve noticed changes in your teen’s mood, behavior, health or functioning and think it might be related to anxiety, it might be worth exploring what is happening beneath the surface. Anxiety is highly treatable, and early support can help teens develop skills for managing difficult emotions and gradually face important situations that they may be avoiding. You can always reach out to a therapist for evaluation of symptoms and support.
About the Author
Marlee Gordon, LPC is a licensed professional counselor and the founder of Meadowlight Counseling LLC, a private practice in Goodyear, Arizona. Marlee has over 13 years of experience working with adolescents in educational and therapeutic settings, including school-based therapy and intensive outpatient programming for teens. She treats a wide variety of mental health concerns but focuses primarily on treating anxiety, perfectionism, life transitions, relationship challenges, and academic/athletic performance concerns.