In recent years there has been a significant increase in anxiety among teenagers and students worldwide. In response there have been various approaches and initiatives that have been developed over the time to address this growing concern.
Anxiety is basically fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of this and that. It is mostly caused by thoughts.
“I don’t like living with this newborn anxiety. I don’t want to live with this,” said Chahat Yadav, a SAIT student.
There are several coping mechanisms you can use for anxiety. There are many diverse approaches to cope with anxiety and heal from it.
“Not everything works the same way for everybody,” said Katie Israel, GN, MA, RCC and a counsellor at Tranquil Pathways Counselling, Airdrie.
Being aware of when anxiety is happening and knowing how to tackle it matters the most. There are a lot of relaxation skills that students can use to decrease their stress levels.
There are new approaches that come out all the time, most of them being innovative that aims to equip young individuals with effective strategies to manage their emotions and improve their mental health. It ranges from just going out for a walk, distracting yourself from whatever is causing you anxiety to working with your thoughts. Strategies like mindfulness also tends to help a lot.
There are more approaches such as some groups that target the youth to help and at the same time there is individual therapy known as Psychotherapy.
“Psychotherapy is the leading treatment modality,” said Israel.
Psychotherapy is all about an individual meeting a trained professional, be it a psychologist, counsellor, or a psychotherapist. This therapy helps people understand their own thoughts, emotions and how to manage anxiety.
“Every therapeutic treatment is going to be tailored according to person who is accessing health,” said Israel.
Currently the most effective treatment options to handle anxiety in both teenagers and adults is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). It is one of the main modalities or the approach that is used.
CBT is more cognitive. It has its own concepts and principles. DBT is a more practical step in terms of changing behaviour.
According to Israel, “Everything is progressing now. We can understand the relationship between yourself and your physiological responses.”
The technology these days has made everything so easy for people. Especially easy access for specific treatments that cannot be physically accessed.
Some easy tips shared by Israel to ease anxiety are, breathing, talking to someone if you are feeling overwhelmed, texting someone you trust, and the best way is to be aware of what is happening and figure out what relaxes you.
“Instead of stigmatizing it or looking at it is as abnormal and unwanted, we need to accept the fact that it’s part of the human condition. It’s with us. It’s happening, but we can manage it right,” said Israel.
Education is always a key and knowledge impartation can empower each person to be aware and help others in need.
Katie Israel a Counsellor at Tranquil Pathways Counselling, Airdrie, is photographed in her office on Jan. 23, 2025.
Katie Israel a Counsellor at Tranquil Pathways Counselling, Airdrie, is photographed in her office reading a book on Jan. 23, 2025.