Teenagers can feel anxious about going to Group Therapy.

These 4 therapist-approved coping skills can help ease your anxiety.

Are you tired of struggling with stress, overwhelm, and problematic thoughts, urges + feelings? Then group therapy is an amazing way for teenagers to work on improving their mental health.

You don't have to struggle with your mental health alone.

Group therapy helps because when you are able to help + connect with others, you also help + connect with yourself, too!

If you're struggling with social anxiety or anxiety in general, then you're going to need some coping skills to get to and stay in the group so you can get the maximum benefits of group therapy.

Try these 4 Therapist-Approved coping skills for anxiety if you're interested in going to group therapy but are feeling worried or nervous about it.

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You know that group therapy can be really helpful for your anxiety. But what if you're too anxious to show up?

Here’s what you need to know about these 4 coping skills for teenagers who are anxious about going to group therapy:

DRINK YOUR WATER

It may sound really strange, but water can actually help cool you down so you can get better in control of your anxiety responses.

Drinking water also has another added benefit, that if you are not sure what to say, or you need a moment to collect yourself, very few people are going to interrupt you and say, "Don't drink that water right now. I asked you a question", especially in group therapy.

Usually, people are in group therapy because they want to be there, not because they have to be.

So that means that they're probably going to be kind and respectful and allow you some time to complete your sip of water while you collect your thoughts, gather your emotions, and just kind of physically reset for a moment. 

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PHYSICALLY RESET

So you can actually do this in a few different ways.

💃 Shake It Out: I don't know that I would recommend that in the middle of the group, but before you enter into the group room or turn on your camera if you're still doing virtual group. Doing something to shake out that excess energy can be really useful and helpful to just shift into a new emotional state.

🧘‍♀️ Deep Breathing: You can silently to yourself, take a few deep breaths. I highly recommend breathing in through your nose and slowly out through your mouth.

🙆‍♂️ Untangle Your Limbs: A lot of us, when we start feeling anxious, tend to tighten up and bundle up. You might cross your legs or have your arms folded in front of you. So literally untangling your limbs will help you relax and reset.

PRESSURE

So I know I just told you to unwind yourself, but sometimes putting some physical pressure on you can help you feel a little more contained and relaxed.

You can do this by hugging yourself. Most people aren't going to notice if you have your arms around yourself.

You can also apply pressure by squeezing your hands and releasing, or even in your toes and release.

If you're wearing shoes, most people won't even notice.

And even if you're not, they're probably not going to be looking at your feet.

You can really do this with any body part.

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CHANGE THE STORY

We happened to be storytelling creatures. It's how we retain and remember and pass along important information to each other.

So when you lock into a narrative or a story that you're telling yourself, you tend to believe it and you tend to respond as though it's absolutely going to happen.

How obnoxious is it when you're watching a TV show and you're like, "Oh, that kid's mom is not dead". And then boom, you find out that you were wrong. It can be a little shocking + exciting to explore other opportunities or possibilities in that storyline, which is why different TV shows and movies try to shock and awe us. And you can apply that to yourself as well.

Don't get so locked in that because group therapy has always been anxiety-provoking for you that it will stay anxiety-provoking for you.

Try to explore some other opportunities or options that could happen for you.

If you happen to be somebody who really struggles with negative thinking, I highly recommend that you check out this video: 7 DBT Coping Skills for CRUSHING Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) https://youtu.be/FsXhGsZsxVA

And if you found the information in this video useful and helpful, please be sure to share it.

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