Do you find yourself panicking when you're away from loved ones? Do you get homesick easily?
These may be a form of separation anxiety.
Separation anxiety can occur in teens, and even adults- it's not just for dogs, babies, and young children.
If you want to learn some tips on managing these fears and the feelings that come with them- this video post has several separation anxiety tips for teens from a real licensed mental health therapist.
If you prefer to watch the video, click this image here:
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If you prefer to read, here’s what you need to know about separation anxiety in teens:
Separation anxiety is a legitimate mental health diagnosis.
It's typically applied to young children who have an extremely difficult time separating from their primary adult caregiver, usually a parent.
Oftentimes, separation anxiety can continue and affect us even as teenagers and adults.
TRY THESE STRATEGIES TO COMBAT SEPARATION ANXIETY IN TEENS:
TRANSITIONAL OBJECTS
Transitional objects are items we can tangibly and physically hold and carry with us. They serve as a representation of the connection with the actual person or relationship.
We use them all the time for shorthand remembrance and recognition of lots of things and people that are important to us.
Some examples of transitional objects are:
Carrying a photo of a loved one
Wearing a friendship bracelet with a close friend
Crystals or stones that have special meaning
Stuffed animals or blankets
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
Have you ever noticed that sometimes your anxiety can just grow and grow and grow the more that you think about it?
It's like our thoughts work us up and keep us going down that negative thinking track.
Cognitive dissonance is the idea of creating some separation from our thinking thoughts.
Here are a couple of examples of how to practice cognitive dissonance:
Say the thought again, but in a funny voice or accent
Imagine that these thoughts are being placed on leaves and floating down a stream far away
If they happen to pop up again, you can place them on another leaf and let it float away down the stream
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EXPOSURE
When first starting to tackle separation anxiety, a lot of people try to complete everything and overcome all their barriers and obstacles in one giant step.
*I Do Not Advise That!
First of all, that's really overwhelming. It's kind of a setup for failure. It's asking you to take this big issue and just solve it in one little hop. And that's just not reasonable.
Instead, it’s recommended that you try exposing yourself- little by little- to different elements of whatever is causing you anxiety.
One thing that you can do to build up your trust in being able to be separated from that parent is by taking small steps and exposing yourself to being away for longer periods of time.
You can do this by establishing a check-in process. Start with 15 minutes and building up to once a day. See what feels right for you. Then gradually increase the space between you and the person.
When going through this process, remember:
Take it one step at a time. Some days you’ll be good to go and increase the space. Other times there may be bumps in the road that’ll have you take a few steps back. That's totally okay.
Progress tends to be spiral, not linear.
Don't worry if you feel like you need them back outside the door after they were hanging out at home for dance class. Totally fine, totally normal
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KEEP TALKING
When it comes to struggling with things like separation anxiety, it's so important to be able to talk about the way that you're feeling with other people.
Keeping them in the loop will make things easier for you in the long-run.
Tell me….
I hope that you found this information valuable and helpful and if you did, let me know in the comments over on my YouTube channel- you can click here to go to this video.
And please be sure to share this video because you never know who you could be helping in the process.
If you want to know more about how to stop negative thinking, click this link to watch a great video on this very important topic.
Want even more positive influences in your teen's life? Teen Growth Therapy Group is a weekly space where your teenager can connect with others dealing with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem. By talking and learning together, they learn to feel better about the relationships they have with themselves and others.
If you want to secure your teen's spot- schedule your complimentary 15-min parent phone screening by completing the contact form here.
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, MAY BE CONSIDERING KILLING THEMSELVES, PLEASE CONNECT THEM WITH HELP.
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