Reduce Your Teen’s Anxiety and Self-Harm

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When your teenager experiences anxiety, self-harm is one way he or she copes with intense anxious feelings. Although there are a variety of reasons why your child might be cutting or participating in other forms of teen self-harm, you might see that anxiety tends to drive this unhealthy pattern.

Therapy

If you and your teenager are not already working with a mental health professional that would be the first place to begin. Individual therapy for your adolescent is an excellent way to provide professional mental health support. Additionally, you can search for a therapist or psychologist that specializes working with teens. Having another adult you trust can be the key to facilitating an easier transition to adulthood. Since your teenager might be breaking away from you as the parent in order to establish his or her independence and sense of self, a therapist can be a role model and even mentor. Meanwhile, and perhaps more importantly, therapeutic sessions can explore the underlying causes for the anxiety as well as any other intense feelings that tend to lead to teen self-harm.

Calming Techniques 

Apart from therapy, you might also help your child learn relaxation techniques to help treat teen self-harm. For example, yoga, meditation, and breathing consciously and slowly can be tools to use on a regular basis. Yoga is a practice, form of exercise, which invites an integrated experience of body and mind. Its effects can be experienced immediately as well as over time. Meditation is also a very calming practice that can also produce healing experiences. Although meditation might be difficult at first, the challenge at the beginning is worth the rewards. Finally, deep breathing can be an essential tool, particularly right in those intense moments that might otherwise lead to cutting or self-harm. Helping your child develop the habit of breathing instead of cutting can be the practice that eliminates self-harm altogether.

Positive Self-Talk

Lastly, helping your teenager examine his or her self-talk can also be particularly effective. Often, if not always, the thoughts and inner dialogue are what lead to self-harm. The thoughts that take place in response to the stress of school, peer pressure, and other forms of psychological tension is worth thorough exploration.

Of course, your teen may not be willing to divulge his or her inner thoughts with you. But you might simply invite your child to write down those thoughts. You might also purchase a journal or sketchpad for them to use. Of course, as a parent, you might also work closely with your child’s therapist who will be very familiar with how to not only explore those thoughts but also replace them with those that are positive and life affirming. A therapist will likely be familiar with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is a form of therapy that examines negative thoughts and feelings. It is common for a CBT therapist to use a tool called a Thought Diary. It’s a way to document anxious thoughts and the result of those thoughts.

Tools that help reduce anxiety as well as explore the underlying causes of that anxiety can promote mental health and well-being.

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Reduce Your Teen’s Anxiety and Self-Harm
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Jan 23, 2014
Pat D'Amico
Behavior Issues
Lucy Nguyen
Lucy Nguyen, LMFT

Clinical Reviewer
Lucy Nguyen is the Executive Director at Paradigm Treatment, overseeing all clinical treatment programs across the organization's southwestern region. Her extensive experience includes working with young adults in private practice, serving as a therapist for children and teens with emotional and behavioral needs, and acting as a behavior interventionist for teens with developmental disorders. Lucy integrates cognitive-behavioral approaches with mindfulness and compassion in her work, and she is also EMDR-trained. She holds a Master of Science in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine.
When your teenager experiences anxiety, self-harm is one way he or she copes with intense anxious feelings. Although there are a variety of reasons why your child might be cutting or participating in other forms of teen self-harm, you might see that anxiety tends to drive this unhealthy pattern.
Therapy
If you and your teenager are not already working with a mental health professional that would be the first place to begin. Individual therapy for your adolescent is an excellent way to provide professional mental health support. Additionally, you can search for a therapist or psychologist that specializes working with teens. Having another adult you trust can be the key to facilitating an easier transition to adulthood. Since your teenager might be breaking away from you as the parent in order to establish his or her independence and sense of self, a therapist can be a role model and even mentor. Meanwhile, and perhaps more importantly, therapeutic sessions can explore the underlying causes for the anxiety as well as any other intense feelings that tend to lead to teen self-harm.
Calming Techniques 
Apart from therapy, you might also help your child learn relaxation techniques to help treat teen self-harm. For example, yoga, meditation, and breathing consciously and slowly can be tools to use on a regular basis. Yoga is a practice, form of exercise, which invites an integrated experience of body and mind. Its effects can be experienced immediately as well as over time. Meditation is also a very calming practice that can also produce healing experiences. Although meditation might be difficult at first, the challenge at the beginning is worth the rewards. Finally, deep breathing can be an essential tool, particularly right in those intense moments that might otherwise lead to cutting or self-harm. Helping your child develop the habit of breathing instead of cutting can be the practice that eliminates self-harm altogether.
Positive Self-Talk
Lastly, helping your teenager examine his or her self-talk can also be particularly effective. Often, if not always, the thoughts and inner dialogue are what lead to self-harm. The thoughts that take place in response to the stress of school, peer pressure, and other forms of psychological tension is worth thorough exploration.
Of course, your teen may not be willing to divulge his or her inner thoughts with you. But you might simply invite your child to write down those thoughts. You might also purchase a journal or sketchpad for them to use. Of course, as a parent, you might also work closely with your child’s therapist who will be very familiar with how to not only explore those thoughts but also replace them with those that are positive and life affirming. A therapist will likely be familiar with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is a form of therapy that examines negative thoughts and feelings. It is common for a CBT therapist to use a tool called a Thought Diary. It's a way to document anxious thoughts and the result of those thoughts.
Tools that help reduce anxiety as well as explore the underlying causes of that anxiety can promote mental health and well-being.
   



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