With the high stress, high demand world we live in, the experience of burnout is not limited to adults. When you combine the demands of academics, extracurricular activities, social pressures, both on and offline, you have a recipe for complete and total burnout. As a licensed therapist who specializes in working with teens, I see this every day in my practice. The intensity and disconnection of the pandemic has made teens even more vulnerable to the effects of stress. In this blog, I’ll explore how teens experience burnout, its causes, signs, and how the effects of the pandemic continue to reverberate, increasing chances of mental health challenges. 

If you feel like your teen might be experiencing anxiety, depression, or some other mental health issue, you’ve probably considered seeking a teen therapist. You might feel your teen would benefit from therapy but you worry they’d be resistant to the idea. Many teens may not talk with their parents about what they’re feeling but with some encouragement and support, they’re often relieved to have a space to talk. Here are some tips on how to approach your teen about starting therapy.

When it comes to anxiety and parenthood, our culture communicates to all of us that we’re expected to handle things alone. The message is if something doesn’t come to you naturally, you are the problem and not the lack of supports or the problematic systems around you. This message is especially loud when it comes to parenting. We were not meant to raise children in isolation. But our culture of disconnection often leads parents to feeling isolated and alone. So these are the messages that I hope all mothers and parents will take in when it comes to raising children and experiencing anxiety.

If you struggle with anxiety, you’re probably very familiar with how it impacts your mind. There’s a good chance you have an active brain that is skilled at coming up with detailed (and often terrifying) scenarios. This is the blessing and the curse of the anxious brain. We can be wildly anxious or wildly imaginative. In fact, there’s been research to confirm that people with anxiety tend to be more intelligent with a greater connection to creativity as well. So how do we channel this active mind and anxiety into our creativity to improve overall well-being?

You may have heard you need to “feel your feelings” in order to overcome anxiety or depression or to process trauma. But what if your feelings feel too overwhelming? For many people the idea of feeling their emotions is terrifying. Perhaps you’re flooded with too many emotions at once and the sensations become too much to manage. If you’re feeling this way, it makes sense that you’d want to avoid tuning in to your body and emotions. It is your body’s way of protecting you.

So how do we get into this state? How do we get ourselves to a point where we feel just enough, but not too much. If you find yourself either too overwhelmed or feeling numb and disconnected, here are some tips to help you find more balance and connect with your emotions more clearly.

Many of us with anxiety struggle with indecisiveness. It could be decisions about school, such as deciding what classes to take. For a lot of high school seniors, the decision about what college to attend can feel paralyzing. For young adults, it might be the decision to take a job, make a move, or decide if it’s time to end a relationship. Whatever the decision, there are ways to approach it that can reduce anxiety and increase your confidence and trust in yourself.

When you combine this developmental reality with the real stress that teens have been under since the pandemic, it is understandable that they can become easily overwhelmed by emotions. There’s even a recent study that showed teens’ brains aged faster in the first year of the pandemic due to increased stress.

So how do we help our teens at such a crucial time? How do we help teens cope with anxiety and depression? Teens need us now more than ever to guide them through how to cope and help them to feel they’re not alone. Here are some tips to help your teen when they are overwhelmed by big emotions:

For many people, anxiety is most intense first thing in the morning. You may find yourself waking with symptoms of anxiety as soon as you wake up, even before your feet hit the floor. If you find yourself feeling the most anxious in the morning hours, here are some strategies to find relief.